It is probably one of the highest honours a journalist could receive, but in the past online-only newspapers have been excluded. The Pulitzer Prize board have now decided to change that showing their reflected interest in the growth and importance of online journalism.
All of this is being announced at a time when readership rates for print newspapers, and even the finances for print newspaper are struggling and online media is gathering momentum at an unprecedented rate.
Although online content has been allowed as an entry for the Pulitzer Prize, websites that do not have a print publication have only been allowed to submit entries in the ‘breaking news’ and ‘breaking news photography’ sections.
According to a statement for the Pulitzer Organisation the criteria for online publications is that they “publish at least weekly … are primarily dedicated to original news reporting and coverage of ongoing stories … and adhere to the highest journalistic principles.â€
The last dramatic change to entries for the Pulitzer Prize was in 1943 when photography was allowed, but hopefully we won’t have to wait half a century before online video will be included as well.
December 9, 2008
entertainment