DENVER—The Denver Post won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news on Monday for its coverage of the Colorado theater shooting.
The judges said the Post’s comprehensive coverage of the mass shooting that killed 12 and injured 70, from social media and video to written reports, captured the story and provided context.
The Post’s news director, Kevin Dale, said it’s great to be recognized, but the newspaper would rather win for a different story.
“We are part of this community. The tragedy touches us, but we have a job to do,” he said. “It’s a matter of balance.”
The newspaper staff’s expertise in the community helped with reporting the story, Dale said.
A quick cheer erupted in the Post’s newsroom when word came that the newspaper won a Pulitzer, following a brief moment of confusion about what category the prize was in.
The Post was also a finalist for its breaking news coverage of the Waldo Canyon wildfire and for its photography for the theater shooting story.
More cheers erupted when it became clear the award was for breaking news reporting. Some people teared up and others shared hugs and handshakes.
The Pulitzers, journalism’s highest honor, are given out each year by Columbia University on the recommendation of a board of journalists and others. Each award carries a $10,000 prize except for the public service award, which is a gold medal.
Former Rocky Mountain News photographer Javier Manzano won the feature photography Pulitzer Prize for his picture of two Syrian rebel soldiers guarding their position as light streams in through bullet holes in a metal wall.
Manzano is now a freelance photographer and is perhaps best known in Colorado as the photographer kicked by former Rep. Doug Bruce on the day of his swearing into office in 2008.
