2008 Pulitzer Prize Winners

From journalism to special citations and awards

Journalism

Public Service: The Washington Post "for the work of Dana Priest, Anne Hull and photographer Michel du Cille in exposing mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, evoking a national outcry and producing reforms by federal officials."
Breaking News Reporting: The Washington Post Staff "for its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online."
Investigative Reporting: Walt Bogdanich and Jake Hooker of the New York Times "for their stories on toxic ingredients in medicine and other everyday products imported from China, leading to crackdowns by American and Chinese officials and the Chicago Tribune Staff for its exposure of faulty governmental regulation of toys, car seats and cribs, resulting in the extensive recall of hazardous products and congressional action to tighten supervision."
Explanatory Reporting: Amy Harmon of the New York Times "for her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports."
Local Reporting: David Umhoefer of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "for his stories on the skirting of tax laws to pad pensions of county employees, prompting change and possible prosecution of key figures."
International Reporting: Jo Becker and Barton Gellman of the Washington Post "for their lucid exploration of Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful yet sometimes disguised influence on national policy."
Feature Writing: Steve Fainaru of the Washington Post "for his heavily reported series on private security contractors in Iraq that operate outside most of the laws governing American forces."
Commentary: Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post "for his insightful columns that explore the nation's complex economic ills with masterful clarity."
Criticism: Mark Feeney of the Boston Globe "for his penetrating and versatile command of the visual arts, from film and photography to painting."
Editorial Cartooning: Michael Ramirez of Investor's Business Daily "for his provocative cartoons that rely on originality, humor and detailed artistry."
Breaking News Photography: Adrees Latif of Reuters "for his dramatic photograph of a Japanese videographer, sprawled on the pavement, fatally wounded during a street demonstration in Myanmar."
Feature Photography: Preston Gannaway of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor "for her intimate chronicle of a family coping with a parent's terminal illness."

Letters, Drama, and Music

Fiction: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books).
Drama: August: Osage County by Tracy Letts.
History: What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe (Oxford University Press).
Biography: Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson (W.W. Norton).
Poetry: Time and Materials by Robert Hass (Ecco/HarperCollins) and Failure by Philip Schultz (Harcourt)
General Nonfiction: The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939–1945 by Saul Friedlander (HarperCollins).
Music: The Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang, co-commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation and The Perth Theater and Concert Hall, and premiered October 25, 2007 in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City (G. Schirmer, Inc.).

Special Citations and Awards

Special Citation: Bob Dylan "for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."