Barton Gellman ’82 of The Washington Post, Ferris professor of journalism in 2001-02 and former chairman of The Daily Princetonian, won the national reporting award for his examination of Vice President Dick Cheney’s often concealed use of power. He is sharing the award with Post reporter Jo Becker.
“It’s always very hard to know how something’s going to turn out when you work on it for a really long time, like my partner and I did,” Gellman said. “There were times when I wasn’t sure we would be able to write it at all, but it turned out well.”
Joel Achenbach ’82, who worked with Gellman at the ‘Prince’ and now works with him at the Post, said that “Bart not only deserved to win this Pulitzer, but he’s clearly one of the best reporters and writers in the newspaper business.”
“I think everyone that knows him and who has read his work over the years already knew that, but it’s nice when the official validation comes in,” he added.
This is Gellman’s second Pulitzer Prize. He previously shared the 2002 national reporting award with Post staff for coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Achenbach recalled Gellman’s articles during his time at the ‘Prince’ as an early indicator of his journalistic success.
“The thing about Bart is that ... he writes the stories that no one else can write because he does the reporting that no one else can do,” Achenbach said. “He has an ability to go in and attack the very hardest targets in town.”
Ian Shapira ’00, former executive editor for opinion for the ‘Prince,’ shared the prize in breaking news reporting with other members of The Washington Post for in-depth and comprehensive coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings.
“Covering Virginia Tech required a great amount of teamwork among a lot of reporters, and for me this was the biggest reward,” Shapira said. “I’m so happy to have been part of this experience as a reporter for The Washington Post.”
Walt Bogdanich of The New York Times, Ferris professor of journalism in 2006-07, won the award in investigative reporting for stories documenting the toxic ingredients found in pharmaceuticals and other products imported from China.
“I’m thrilled, to say the least,” Bogdanich said of receiving the prize. “That’s still a big deal in journalism to win one of those, and it’s an even bigger deal when you’re able to win it at The New York Times ... I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
Bogdanich, who is sharing the prize with colleague Jake Hooker, said that this award was in some ways better than his previous two because he is not alone in winning it.
“In the past I’d won it myself,” Bogdanich said, “and this time I’m able to share it with a colleague in China who did an outstanding job on that end of the story.”
Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe, Robbins professor of writing in 2006-07, won the prize in criticism for 10 essays on visual culture, including one on artist Edward Hopper.
“First off, I’m thrilled that my cubicle mate from last year, Walt, also won,” Feeney said, referring to his year teaching at the University with Bogdanich in 2006-07.
“I’m grateful,” Feeney said of his being awarded the prize. “I’m very pleased.”
The Washington Post won the most awards this year of any newspaper with six, the second-most any newspaper has won in a single year.
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