An unfettered press

The Pulitzer Prizes

Seymour Topping

Joseph Pulitzer, one of the most dazzling journalists in American history, was awarded the most prestigious award named after the American press. His influence on the American press was much earlier than the Pulitzer Prize he set up in his will. However, this award means that his influence on American news reporting can still be felt today.

/kloc-In the late 20th century, Joseph Pulitzer stood out as a model of American journalism. He was born in Hungary and has a strong and unyielding character. Is the most capable newspaper publisher; He is also a passionate fighter against dishonest government; A competitor as brave as an eagle; In the competition in the distribution field, we will never give up the technology of making sensational news; He is also a visionary, which greatly enriches the connotation of his career. His innovative spirit in new york World and St. Louis Post reshaped the face of newspaper media. Pulitzer was the first person who called for the establishment of journalism schools in universities to train journalists. Of course, the lasting influence of Pulitzer Prize on news, literature, music and drama should also be attributed to his foresight.

Pulitzer was born in Marko, Hungary on April 1847. He is the son of a wealthy grain merchant who was born in Madzar. His mother is German and deeply believes in Roman Catholicism. Old Pulitzer retired in Budapest. Joseph grew up under the education of local private schools and private teachers. Pulitzer, 17 years old, arrogant and unruly. The lanky young man, who is two meters tall, decided to join the army and tried to join the Austrian army, Napoleon's foreign legion in Mexico and the British army in India, but he was rejected because of his poor eyesight and weak body. This situation has troubled him all his life. However, in Hamburg, Germany, he met a man who, in order to get a reward, was recruited into the army of the United States federal government and was recruited as a substitute for conscripts, which was allowed by the conscription system during the civil war. He deserted in Boston, and it is said that he swam to the shore, determined to keep the reward for enlistment for himself, not for his agent. Pulitzer was rewarded and worked in the Lincoln Cavalry for a year, which suited him very much because there were many Germans in this unit. He speaks fluent German and French, but he doesn't know much English. Later, he worked until St. Louis. While doing odd jobs such as driving mules, porters and waiters, he plunged into the commercial library in St. Louis to study English and law. The biggest turning point of his career happened in the chess room of the library. While watching two regulars play chess, his brilliant judgment on one-step chess shocked the players and chatted with him. These two chess players are editors of a big German newspaper, the Westerlich Post, and they gave him a job. Four years later, 1872, he was known as a tireless and promising journalist. The young Pulitzer gained control of the newspaper from the newspaper owner who was on the verge of bankruptcy. At the age of 25, Pulitzer became a publisher, and then a series of shrewd business decisions made him the boss of 1878 St. Louis Post. He appeared in the press as a brilliant figure.

Earlier in the same year, he married a Washington socialite named Kate Davis at the Protestant Episcopal Church. This Hungarian immigrant who used to be a street tramp in the slums of St. Louis and was ridiculed as "Joey the Jew" has completely transformed. Now he has become an American citizen. As an orator, writer and editor, he is very proficient in English. Well-dressed, with a beautiful reddish-brown beard and pince-nez, he quickly integrated into the upper class in St. Louis, enjoying dancing at gorgeous parties and riding horses in the garden. This lifestyle came to an abrupt end when he took charge of the St. Louis Post. James Wyman Barrett, the last city editor of Le Monde in new york, described Pulitzer's situation when he was in charge of the Post in his biography Joseph Pulitzer and their World. "From morning till midnight or even later, he took care of everything in the newspaper." In order to make the public accept that his newspaper is their best defender, Pulitzer published investigative articles and editorials, attacking government corruption and tax evasion by the rich and gamblers. This populist appeal is quite effective, the circulation has increased and newspapers have prospered. If Pulitzer knows that in the Pulitzer Prize system he later established, the awards in the news awards are more for articles that expose corruption than other topics, he will be gratified.

Pulitzer's saburo-style working style for the newspaper made him pay the price and his health was damaged. With the decline of eyesight, Mr. and Mrs. Pulitzer 1883 went to new york and prepared to go to Europe for a holiday by boat according to the doctor's request. However, he did not board the ship in new york, but stubbornly met with the financier Jay Gould 1 to discuss the acquisition of new york's Le Monde, which is facing financial difficulties. Despite his serious health, Pulitzer devoted himself to finding a way out for the newspaper, which eventually brought what Barrett called a "single-handed revolution" to the editorial policy, content and layout of Le Monde. He used some techniques to increase the circulation of the post and oppose corruption in the government and business circles. The news column is full of sensational features. For the first time, he used a lot of illustrations to publish news gimmicks. In one of the most successful promotional activities, Le Monde collected money from subscribers and built a pedestal at the entrance of new york Port, which provided a place for the Statue of Liberty stranded in France waiting for shipment.

This measure has achieved good results. From then on 10, the circulation of various editions of Le Monde climbed to more than 600,000, making it the largest newspaper in China. But unexpectedly, Pulitzer himself became a victim of the circulation war. Charles Anderson Dana, the publisher of The Sun, was greatly frustrated with Le Monde's victory and began to make vicious personal attacks on him, saying that he was "a Jew who denied his race and beliefs". This persistent attack is aimed at alienating Jews in new york from Le Monde. Pulitzer's health is weakening in this disaster. At the age of 43, 1890, he resigned as editor of Le Monde and never returned to the editorial office. He is almost completely blind, and in extreme depression, he suffers from a painful disease that is extremely sensitive to noise. He went abroad to look for a good doctor, but found nothing. For the next 20 years, he basically shut himself in what he called a soundproof "cellar", on his yacht Liberty, in his holiday resort "The Tower of Silence" in bar harbor, Maine, and in his private residence in new york.

In those years, although Pulitzer visited frequently, he managed to closely control the development direction of his newspaper editing and business. From 1896 to 1898, the Wall Street Journal led by Pulitzer and william randolph hearst was caught in a fierce distribution war. These two newspapers publish sensational or fabricated news reports almost without restraint. On the issue of Cuba's opposition to Spanish rule, Pulitzer and Hearst both want to compete for positions that incite anti-Spanish anger. 1898 February 16, after the mysterious explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor, both sides called for declaring war on Spain. Faced with strong voices, Congress passed a war resolution. After four months of war, Pulitzer no longer adopted the strategy called "yellow news". Le Monde has become more restrained, and its influential editorials represent the voice of the Democratic Party on many issues. Historians believe that Pulitzer's achievements in public service are stronger than his slide into "yellow news". He launched a brave and often successful condemnation of government and business corruption. To a great extent, he played an important role in the adoption of the Anti-monopoly Law and the standardized management of the insurance industry. 1909, Le Monde exposed a fraud case in which the United States paid 40 million dollars to the French Panama Canal Company. The federal government launched a severe counterattack against Le Monde, accusing Pulitzer of maliciously slandering President theodore roosevelt and some people, including banker J·P· Morgan.

Pulitzer did not flinch, and Le Monde continued its investigation. When the court dropped the charges, Pulitzer won wide acclaim for press freedom. 1904 In May, Pulitzer summed up his creed in an article in the North American Review and suggested setting up a journalism school. "Our country will coexist with the media." . A competent, fair and popular media, with well-trained, intelligent and courageous journalists, can maintain this public morality. Without it, the people's government is hypocritical and ridiculous. A cynical, mercenary and demagogic media will eventually create a person as despicable as itself. The power to shape the future of the Republic of China lies in the hands of future journalists. "

19 12, the year after Pulitzer died on the yacht, Columbia Journalism School was established. 19 17 under the supervision of the advisory Committee entrusted by Pulitzer, the first batch of Pulitzer prizes were awarded. The selection of Committee members and juries mainly depends on professional ability and affiliation, as well as other aspects of diversity, such as gender, nationality and geographical distribution, as well as the choice of journalists and the size of newspapers.

The history of Pulitzer Prize

The will of Pulitzer 1904 stipulates that the Pulitzer Prize is an incentive for outstanding achievements. He pointed out in particular that there are four special news awards, four literature and drama awards, one education award and four travel scholarships. In the literature prize, there should be an American novel, an original American drama staged in new york, a book about American history, a biography of Americans and a book about the history of public service produced by the media. However, Pulitzer is extremely sensitive to the rapid progress of society, which makes him ready for a large-scale reform of the reward system. Starting from 19 17, the advisory committee-later renamed Pulitzer Prize Committee-expanded the number of awards to 2 1, adding poetry, music and photography awards, while still adhering to the spirit of the will and desire of the winners as always.

In the past few years, the Pulitzer Prize Committee has sometimes become the target of critics because of who to award or who not to award. The decision made by the Committee is also controversial because it is inconsistent with the jury's recommendation. Because the process of awarding prizes is subjective in nature, this phenomenon is inevitable. The Committee has never been a captive of the audience's preferences. Many award-winning works (if not most) are not on the bestseller list, and many award-winning plays are performed outside Broadway or in local theaters. In the press, major newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Washington post, have won many awards, but the committee often accepts the works of some unknown small newspapers. St Thomas Virgin Islands Daily News won the 1995 Public Service Award for exposing the relationship between rampant crime rate in the region and corruption in the local criminal justice system. From the beginning, the Committee has always adhered to the strategy of keeping its comments confidential, refusing to openly debate or defend its decision. As the most prestigious award in China, it is also the honor pursued by people in the fields of news, literature and music. Such challenges have not reduced the reputation of the Pulitzer Prize. Pulitzer Prize is regarded as the main driving force for producing high-quality news, which focuses the world's attention on American achievements in literature and music.

Pulitzer donated $2 million to Columbia University in his will to establish a journalism school. Among them, 1/4 "Establish awards or scholarships to encourage public service, public morality, American literature and promote education". He said this because he said, "I am deeply interested in the progress and improvement of journalism, because I have been engaged in this industry all my life and regard it as a noble profession, a profession with unparalleled importance because of its influence on people's hearts and morals." I hope to help attract honest and capable young people to join this ranks, and at the same time help those who have already engaged in this industry to obtain the highest level of moral and intellectual training. " Pulitzer himself got little help when he climbed to the top of American journalism. He prides himself on being a self-made man. Perhaps it is because of the hardships he experienced as a young journalist that he has the desire to cultivate professional training.

Management of Pulitzer Prize

Every year, more than 2,000 selected works compete for the Pulitzer Prize, but usually only 2 1 prize is awarded, of which 14 is a news prize. These awards are the end of the 1 year process. At the beginning of each year, 102 outstanding judges are appointed and divided into 20 judging panels.

Members of the jury have to work hard for three days and carefully screen each work before nomination. Since the establishment of these awards, the Committee has expanded and re-approved news projects many times to keep up with the development of American journalism. The Comic Book Award was established at 1922. The photography award was established at 1942. 1968 is divided into live news or breaking news and special topics. With the development of computer photo modification technology, the Committee stipulated in 1995 that "any works with processed or modified contents will not be accepted except the usual newspaper clippings and editing".

The following is the classification definition of 200 1 Pulitzer Prize:

1. Newspapers provide commendable and outstanding public services by using news resources such as editorials, cartoons, photos and reports;

2. Excellent local breaking news reports;

3 outstanding investigation reports made by individuals or groups in the form of single articles or series of reports;

4. Clarify a meaningful and complex theme, and show excellent explanatory reports with a good grasp of the theme, fluent writing and clear expression;

5. Make continuous and knowledgeable excellent special reports on specific topics or activities;

6. Outstanding reports on state affairs;

7. Outstanding report on international affairs, including the United Nations;

8. Pay special attention to excellent special reports of high quality and originality of literature;

9. Excellent review articles;

10. Excellent literary criticism articles;

1 1. Excellent editorials with clear style, moral purpose, solid reasoning and the ability to influence public opinion under the condition that the author thinks the guidance is correct;

12. Excellent cartoons or selected cartoons published this year have original and critical effects, and the painting level and visual effects are high;

13. Excellent breaking news photography consisting of black and white or color, single or multiple photos and related group photos or albums;

14. Excellent black-and-white or color close-up photography, single or multiple photos and related group photos or albums;

The gold medal will be awarded to the winner of the public service award. In addition to certificates, other categories of winners also have cash awards, which are increased to $7,500 in 200 1 instead of $5,000. Four places recommended to professors in the School of Journalism, each offering a Pulitzer Prize of $5,000. These scholarships enable three outstanding graduates to travel abroad, write reports and study, and another scholarship is awarded to a graduate who is engaged in drama, music, literature, movies or TV reviews. For most winners, cash awards are only secondary to the prestige that Pulitzer Prize brings to them and their works. There are many more competitive awards, but none can be compared with the Pulitzer Prize in the eyes of the public.

Unlike the well-prepared Nobel Prize ceremony and royal banquet in Stockholm and Oslo, Pulitzer Prize winners only receive prizes and certificates from the president of Columbia University in the rotunda of Low Library in May each year. Only family members, professional colleagues, Committee members and teachers from the School of Journalism were present. The Committee rejected the request to publicize the event on TV. ◇

1. Jay Gould (1836- 1892): American railway speculators and financiers controlled the railway industry, United Telecom and the new york elevated railway through speculation, and their plot to monopolize the gold market caused the "Black Friday" financial panic on September 24th. -Edit notes

2. theodore roosevelt (1858- 19 19): the 26th president of the United States (1901-kloc-0/909), who mediated the Russian-Japanese war (/kloc-0). -Edit notes

3. J P Morgan (1837- 19 13): American financier and king of railways founded Morgan Company, American Steel Company, International Harvesting Company and International Commercial Shipping Company, and saved 1895 and1. -Edit notes

4. Broadway: A street in new york City is a concentrated area of theaters, nightclubs and other entertainment places. -Edit notes

Excerpted from who's who of Pulitzer prize winners by Elizabeth a Brennan and Elizabeth c Cragg. Copyright 1999 belongs to Oryx publishing house. Re-published with the consent of Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport and Connecticut.