Small Virginia Paper Wins Pulitzer

Post leads all publications with four prizes

The Herald Courier of Bristol, Va., won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday.

The powerhouse Washington Post received four Pulitzers -- for international reporting, feature writing, commentary and criticism.

The Herald Courier won for its reporting on the mishandling of natural gas royalties owed to thousands of landowners in Virginia.

The Washington Post's award for international reporting went to Anthony Shadid (now at the New York Times) for what the Pulitzer board called "his rich, beautifully written series" on Iraq as the U.S. military gets ready to withdraw. The newspaper's Gene Weingarten won in feature writing for a piece on parents who accidentally kill their children by leaving them in cars.

The Post also won in commentary for Kathleen Parker's witty columns on political and moral issues, and in criticism, for Sarah Kaufman's writing on dance.

David Hoffman, a former Post reporter, won for his book "The Dead Hand," about the Cold War arms race and its legacy.

Other winners:

  • Breaking News Reporting: The Seattle Times staff
  • Investigative Reporting: Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News and Sheri Fink of ProPublica, in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine
  • Explanatory Reporting: Michael Moss and members of The New York Times staff
  • Local Reporting: Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  • National Reporting: Matt Richtel and members of The New York Times staff
  • Editorial Writing: Tod Robberson, Colleen McCain Nelson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News
  • Editorial Cartooning: Mark Fiore, self-syndicated, appearing on SFGate.com
  • Breaking News Photography: Mary Chind of The Des Moines Register
  • Feature Photography: Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post
  • Fiction: "Tinkers" by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press)
  • Drama: "Next to Normal," music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
  • History: "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World" by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press)
  • Biography: "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf)
  • Poetry: "Versed" by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press)
  • General Nonfiction: "The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy" by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday)
  • Music: "Violin Concerto" by Jennifer Higdon (Lawdon Press)
  • Special Citation: Hank Williams
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