1980 Pulitzer Prize Explained

The Pulitzer Prizes for 1980 were announced on April 14, 1980.^[1] A total of 1,550 entries were submitted for prizes in 19 categories of journalism and the arts.^[2] Finalists were chosen by expert juries in each category, and winners were then chosen by the 16-member Pulitzer Prize Board, presided over by Clayton Kirkpatrick.^[3] For the first time in the Prizes' history, juries were asked to name at least three finalists in each category, and the finalists were announced in addition to the winners.^[4] Each prize carried a $1,000 award, except for the Public Service prize, which came with a gold medal.

The winner in each category is listed first, in bold, followed by the other finalists.

Journalism awards

• Public Service

• • Gannett News Service, for "Story of the Pauline Fathers", its 18-day series on misuse of financial contributions to the Pauline Fathers.^{[5] [6]}
  • The Miami Herald, for "Dangerous Doctors: A Medical Dilemma", an 8-part series on medical incompetence, malfeasance, and abuse.^[7]
  • The Miami Herald, for "Police Brutality: The Dangerous Few", a 5-part series on cases of police brutality in Dade County.
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer,^[8] for "Poison at Our Doorsteps", a series on irresponsible disposal of toxic waste.
  • St. Petersburg Times, for its investigation of the Church of Scientology. (Moved by the Board to the National Reporting category.)
• Local General or Spot News Reporting

• • Staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer, for coverage of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, including a 22,000-word recounting of the accident by 39 reporters and photographers.^[9]
  • Staff of the Chicago Tribune, for coverage of the worst air crash in history and the blizzard of 1979.
  • Staff of the Greensboro Daily News (North Carolina), for coverage of the Greensboro massacre, a shooting at an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally.^[10]
• Local Investigative Specialized Reporting

• • Stephen A. Kurkjian, Alexander B. Hawes Jr., Nils Bruzelius, Joan Vennochi and Robert M. Porterfield of The Boston Globe, for a 10-part exposé on mismanagement of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.^[11]
  • Carole E. Agus, Andrew V. Fetherston, Jr., and Frederick J. Tuccillo of Newsday (Long Island, New York), for their investigation of a scandal at the Southwest Sewer District in Suffolk County.^[12]
  • Charles R. Cook and James S. Carlton of The Port Arthur News (Texas), for their exposé on the use of road oil contaminated with cyanide and other toxic chemicals, distributed by Browning-Ferris Industries.^{[13] [14]}
  • Judy Grande and Brian Gallagher of The Journal News (Nyack, New York), for the 5-part series, "Getting Away with Murder", exposing the shoddy investigation and prosecution of murders in Rockland, New York.^[15]
  • Lewis M. Simons and Ron Shaffer of The Washington Post, for a series on fraud committed by officials of a low-income housing organization, P.I. Properties, including Marion Barry's ex-wife.^{[16] [17]}
• National Reporting

• • Bette Swenson Orsini and Charles Stafford of the St. Petersburg Times, for their 16-part investigation of the Church of Scientology.^[18]
  • Joseph P. Albright of Cox Newspapers, for "Our Trillion Dollar Treasure", a series on energy policy regarding oil and gas under federally owned lands.^{[19] [20]}
  • George Anthan of The Des Moines Register, for "Vanishing Acres", a 7-part series on the dwindling amount of good farmland.^{[21] [22]}
  • Staff of the Los Angeles Times, for a series on chemicals in the environment, "The Poisoning of America".^[23]
• International Reporting

• • Joel Brinkley, reporter, and Jay Mather, photographer of The Courier-Journal, for the 4-part series, "Living the Cambodian Nightmare", about refugees from the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.^[24]
  • Peter Arnett of the Associated Press, for "The World's Homeless", a 6-part series about international refugees, with photographs by Eddie Adams.^{[25] [26]}
  • Fox Butterfield of The New York Times, for dispatches from China.
  • Staff of the Los Angeles Times, for coverage of Iran.
• Feature Writing

• • Madeleine Blais of The Miami Herald, for a selection of stories profiling families and individuals, particularly "Zepp's Last Stand".^{[27] [28]}
  • Bonnie M. Anderson of The Miami Herald, for "The Execution of My Father", about her father's execution during the Cuban Revolution in 1961.^[29]
  • John R. Camp of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, for a series of articles about Native American culture.^[30]
  • Saul Pett of the Associated Press, for an article on the snail darter controversy.^[31]
• Commentary

• • Ellen H. Goodman of The Boston Globe, for her syndicated daily column, commenting on a variety of topics.
  • Richard Reeves of Universal Press Syndicate, for his syndicated political column.^[32]
  • Carl T. Rowan of the Chicago Sun-Times and Syndicate, for his syndicated column.
• Criticism

• • William A. Henry III of The Boston Globe, for critical writing about television.
  • William C. Glackin of The Sacramento Bee, for his drama and music reviews.^[33]
  • William K. Robertson of The Miami Herald, for a collection of columns and book reviews.
• Editorial Writing

• • Robert L. Bartley of The Wall Street Journal, for editorials on a variety of topics.
  • John Alexander of the Greensboro Daily News (North Carolina), for editorials about the Greensboro massacre.^[34]
  • Alfred Ames and Joan Beck of the Chicago Tribune
  • Bruce C. Davidson, Thomas N. Oliphant, and Anne C. Wyman of The Boston Globe, for the 8-part series, "Search for an Energy Policy".^{[35] [36]}
  • Tom Dearmore of the San Francisco Examiner, for editorials on a variety of topics.
• Editorial Cartooning

• • Don Wright of The Miami News, for his cartoons, exemplified by "Florida State Prison".^{[37] [38] [39]}
  • Richard Locher of the Chicago Tribune
  • Paul Szep of The Boston Globe

• Spot News Photography

• • Anonymous, distributed by United Press International. (In 2006, the photographer was identified as Jahangir Razmi of Ettela'at),^{[40] [41]} for "Firing Squad in Iran", depicting the execution of prisoners in the 1979 Kurdish rebellion by an Iranian government firing squad.
  • Robert L. Gay of the Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia), for a series on a crazed veteran holding 29 hostages in a church.^{[42] [43]}
  • Michael Haering of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, for a photo of a girl being struck by a car at a demonstration outside the house of the Shah of Iran's sister in Beverly Hills.^{[44] [45]}
• Feature Photography

• • Erwin H. Hagler of The Dallas Times Herald, for a 23-picture series documenting the life of cowboys in the Texas Panhandle.^{[46] [47] [48]}
  • David A. Kryszak of The Detroit News, for "Cambodian Exodus", a five-part photo-essay on Cambodian refugees in Thailand.^[49]
  • John J. Sunderland of The Denver Post, for photos of patients living and dying in a hospice in Lakewood, Colorado.^[50]

Letters, Drama and Music Awards

• Fiction

• • The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
  • Birdy by William Wharton
  • The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth

• Drama

• • Talley's Folly by Lanford Wilson^[51]
• History

• • Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery by Leon F. Litwack^[52]
  • The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants on the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840–60 by John D. Unruh, Jr.
  • The Urban Crucible: Social Change, Political Consciousness and the Origins of the American Revolution by Gary B. Nash
• Biography or Autobiography

• • The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
  • Being Bernard Berenson by Meryle Secrest
  • Bernard Berenson: The Making of a Connoisseur by Ernest Samuels
  • The Duke of Deception: Memories of My Father by Geoffrey Wolff
• Poetry

• • Selected Poems by Donald Justice^[53]
  • Goshawk, Antelope by Dave Smith
  • Selected Poems by Richard Hugo
• General Nonfiction

• • by Douglas Hofstadter^[54]
  • The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar^[55]
  • The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas
• Music

• • In Memory of a Summer Day by David Del Tredici^[56]
  • After the Butterfly by Morton Subotnick
  • Quintets for Orchestra by Lukas Foss

Notes and References

1. News: 1980 Pulitzer Prizes in journalism, letters. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
2. News: Mailer cops his second Pulitzer. Peter Kihss. The Spokesman-Review. New York Times. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
3. News: 16 journalists, educators on Pulitzer board. The Miami Herald. AP. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
4. Book: Complete Historical Handbook of the Pulitzer Prize System 1917-2000. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer. Erika J. Fischer. Walter de Gruyter. 2011. 978-3110939125. 273.
5. News: Gannett News Service receives Pulitzer Prize. Public Opinion. Chambersburg, PA. John T. McGowan. Gannett. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
6. Book: Complete Historical Handbook of the Pulitzer Prize System 1917-2000. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer. Erika J. Fischer. Walter de Gruyter. 2011. 978-3110939125. 30.
7. News: Tropic's Blais wins a Pulitzer; Herald has four other finalists. The Miami Herald. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
8. News: Inquirer wins top awards in newswriting contest. The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
9. News: Countdown: How the nation's worst nuclear accident happened. The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 8, 1979. Newspapers.com.
10. News: Communists, Klan, blacks hold rallies. The Charlotte News. July 14, 1980. Newspapers.com.
11. News: Members of Globe staff win 3 Pulitzer Prizes. The Boston Globe. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
12. News: Press winners, finalists. Newsday. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
13. News: Texas paper nominated. Longview News-Journal. UPI. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
14. News: Poison reportedly used on E. Texas roads. Austin American-Statesman. April 27, 1979. Cox News Service. Jim Carlton. Chuck Cook. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
15. News: Finalist for a Pulitzer. The Journal News. Nyack, NY. April 21, 1980. Bob Baird. Newspapers.com.
16. News: Ron Shaffer, Washington Post journalist who founded 'Dr. Gridlock' column, dies at 76. The Washington Post. November 13, 2021. Matt Schudel. 2022-01-27.
17. News: Pride firm tied to $600,000 theft. The Washington Post. Lewis M. Simons. Ron Shaffer. October 21, 1979. 2022-01-27.
18. News: 2 Times reporters win Pulitzers for Scientology reports. St. Petersburg Times. Charles Patrick. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
19. News: Pulitzer Prize board, for first time, names finalists in all categories. The Boston Globe. April 16, 1980. Newspapers.com.
20. News: Natural irony: Oil may lie beneath scenic national parks. The Atlanta Constitution. April 15, 1979. Joseph Albright. Newspapers.com.
21. News: George Anthan, journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, dies at 80. The Washington Post. Bart Barnes. August 30, 2016. 2022-01-27.
22. News: Feeding our hungry world from less and less farm land. The Des Moines Register. July 8, 1979. George Anthan. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
23. News: Chemical wastes imperil water supplies. The Los Angeles Times. Bob Secter. September 6, 1979. Newspapers.com.
24. News: C-J wins Pulitzer Prize for Cambodian series. The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
25. News: Divided island: Cypriot Greeks camp in forest and watch as Turkish soldiers loot their village. The Journal Herald. Dayton, OH. AP. Peter Arnett. May 5, 1979. Newspapers.com.
26. News: Millions seek new homes. Abilene Reporter-News. April 22, 1979. Newspapers.com.
27. News: Pulitzer for public service won by Gannett News. Editor & Publisher. April 19, 1980. 56.
28. News: Zepp's Last Sand. The Miami Herald. November 11, 1979. Madeline Blais.
29. News: The Execution of My Father. The Miami Herald. Bonnie M. Anderson. February 25, 1979. Newspapers.com.
30. Web site: About the Author. John Sandford. 2022-01-22.
31. News: Tiny fish casting big shadow over TVA dam project. Asbury Park Press. Saul Pett. AP. April 1, 1979. Newspapers.com.
32. News: Political historian-commentator Richard Reeves dies at 83. Los Angeles Times. Arit John. AP. March 27, 2020. 2022-01-29.
33. News: An unseasonal Valentine arrives for William Glackin. The Sacramento Bee. April 19, 1980. Herb Michelson. Newspapers.com.
34. News: A leader among leaders. News & Record. Greensboro, NC. Stephen Martin. December 4, 1999. 2022-02-06.
35. News: An editorial view of the energy fix. The Boston Globe. July 1, 1979. Newspapers.com.
36. News: A plan for action. The Boston Globe. July 1, 1979. Newspapers.com.
37. Book: Editorial Cartoon Awards 1922-1997: From Rollin Kirby and Edmund Duffy to Herbert Block and Paul Conrad. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer. Erika J. Fischer. Walter de Gruyter. 1999. 225. 978-3-11-095577-4 .
38. News: Florida State Prison. The Miami News. May 22, 1979. Newspapers.com.
39. News: Pulitzer No. 2 for News's Don Wright. The Miami News. Patrice Gaines-Carter. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
40. News: A chilling photograph's hidden history. The Wall Street Journal. December 2, 2006. Joshua Prager. 2022-01-17.
41. News: 27 years after it was awarded, a Pulitzer Prize is acknowledged. The New York Times. Pradnya Joshi. May 28, 2007. 2021-01-16.
42. News: Photojournalist reflects on close encounters during career. The Daily Athenaeum. January 15, 2008. Jon Offredo. 2022-01-30.
43. News: Vet's broadcast ends hostage drama. The Olympian. Olympia, WA. Gannett. Jack A. Seamonds. October 22, 1979. Newspapers.com.
44. News: 200 attack home of shah's sister. Minneapolis Tribune. January 3, 1979. Newspapers.com.
45. News: Pulitzer finalist had local ties. The Pantagraph. Bloomington, IL. May 3, 1980. Newspapers.com.
46. News: Photographer's dream fulfilled. Longview News-Journal. UPI. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
47. News: Mailer receives second Pulitzer. Longview News-Journal. AP. April 15, 1980. Newspapers.com.
48. Web site: Texas Cowboys: The Pulitzer Prize Collection. Skeeter Hagler Photography. 2022-01-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20230528042442/http://www.skeeterhagler.net/pulitzer.html. 2023-05-28.
49. News: Cambodian Exodus. The Detroit News. David Kryszak. December 9–13, 1979.
50. News: Hospice: Death with dignity. The Denver Post. October 7, 1979. Empire magazine. Patrick A. McGuire. John Sunderland.
51. News: When the pain stops, he'll smile. Daily News. New York City. April 17, 1980. Ernest Leogrande. Newspapers.com.
52. News: UC historian wins Pulitzer. Independent & Gazette. Berkeley, CA. April 15, 1980. Marcy Kates. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
53. News: Iowa poet shrugs at Pulitzer fame. The Des Moines Register. April 16, 1980. Jerald Heth. Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
54. News: Hofstadter doesn't plan sequel to Pulitzer book. The Indianapolis News. April 19, 1980. Newspapers.com.
55. News: 'Near-prize' thrills authors. The Indianapolis Star. May 6, 1980. Betsy Harris. Newspapers.com.
56. Web site: SLSO Untold: SLSO Commissioned 1980 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Piece. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Eric Dundon. April 12, 2022. 2023-12-24.