EDITOR: Thank you for pushing us to Pulitzer finals
In American journalism, there is no Final Four. There's the Final Three. And a team of Charlotte Observer journalists reached that rare pinnacle on Monday.
The Pulitzer Prize board honored the Observer's investigation into the home foreclosure crisis as one of three finalists for its most cherished award, the 2008 Gold Medal for Public Service.
The winner, also announced Monday, was The Washington Post, which exposed mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed hospital. The Post's series triggered significant changes in patient care.
The Observer series, 'Sold a Nightmare,' focused on the area's high rate of housing foreclosures and the questionable sales practices by Beazer Homes USA, one of the nation's largest homebuilders. The Observer's reporting led to FBI, IRS, SEC and HUD investigations of Beazer Homes, which has since stopped making mortgage loans nationwide and stopped building homes in Charlotte.
The third gold medal finalist was Newsday, of Long Island, N.Y., cited for its investigation into a railroad's safety hazards.
The Observer was last named a gold medal finalist in 1995, when it was cited for a solutions-oriented series on inner-city crime called 'Taking Back Our Neighborhoods.' The newspaper has won a total of four Pulitzers, including gold medals for its coverage of brown lung among textile workers (1981) and the PTL scandal (1988).
'Sold a Nightmare' previously earned state and national journalism honors. They include the top public service award from the N.C. Press Association, a projects reporting award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, a special citation from the National Association of Real Estate Writers, and the highly coveted George Polk Award for Economics Reporting, the Observer's first Polk award in 20 years.
The judges for the real estate writers said of the Observer's stories: 'Revealing a lack of government oversight at the local, state, and national levels, this was a stunning effort.' To which I would add this: Had these Observer journalists not shined a light on the questionable practices of Beazer and other players in the subprime mortgage meltdown, who would have?
In noting that, we want to congratulate you. And, more importantly, to thank you.
Every time you read The Charlotte Observer and Charlotte.com, you support the journalistic excellence that we strive to achieve for this great region. Without you, none of it would be possible. With you, this vital light will keep shining.
Editor
A dedicated team
These staffers contributed to the 'Sold a Nightmare' series:
REPORTERS: Binyamin Appelbaum, Lisa Hammersly, Peter St. Onge, Liz Chandler, Stella M. Hopkins, Pam Kelley, Rick Rothacker, Mike Drummond
DATABASE EDITOR: Ted Mellnik
PROJECT EDITORS: Gary Schwab, Patrick Scott, Glenn Burkins, Tom Tozer, Bert Fox, Dave Enna
COPY EDITORS: Reid Creager, Rich Mathieson, Steve Masters, Shelly Shepard
DESIGNERS: Eric Edwards, Robin Johnston
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER: Phillip Hoffman
NEWS GRAPHICS: Bill Pitzer
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Diedra Laird, Yalonda M. James, Christopher A. Record, Todd Sumlin, Dana Romanoff
RESEARCH: Marion Paynter, Sara Klemmer, Maria Wygand Rick Thames
Copyright © 2008 , All Rights Reserved.
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