The Pulitzer Prizes and Public Service

Hosted by Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University
McCormick Foundation Center

In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the Pulitzer Prizes, Medill will host a daylong symposium on “The Pulitzer Prizes and Public Service.”

The symposium will celebrate and examine journalistic work that serves the public interest by shedding light on societal problems. The event will be May 6 in Evanston.

The symposium will celebrate not only the oldest continually-awarded journalism prize -- the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service -- but will celebrate other journalism that has served the public interest.

“The Pulitzer Prizes have set the standard for the best in American journalism,” said Dean Bradley J. Hamm. “We are pleased to celebrate this anniversary and to celebrate the Medill alumni who have served the public through their journalism and who have helped earn the Public Service Pulitzer for their newspapers. We know that our students will find their stories inspiring.”

Medill alumnus Roy Harris, author of "Pulitzer’s Gold," a book about the history of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is assisting Medill in preparing the events. The Pulitzer Prizes have elevated the quality of journalism being produced and set a standard for each generation to aspire to.

“In a sense, one can trace U.S. history by looking at what won each year, starting with World War I and the Jazz Age, and running up to the Great Depression. Later Pulitzer journalism explored emerging social issues, from the environment to civil rights, while some of the best-known winners involved Vietnam (the Pentagon Papers) and Watergate,” Harris said.

In addition to looking at past stories, Harris said, the program will also look forward to the next century of journalism which can improve society.

“Importantly, we will also tackle modern opportunities for Medill students to become the next generation of groundbreaking public service journalists,” Harris said.

Upcoming Events