Jim S. picks up the Minneapolis Star Tribune's lack of Pulitzer Prizes ball, carries it into the end zone, and triumphantly spikes it with this e-mail detailing a little research he did:
I noticed the Star-Tribune's lack of Pulitzers a couple of years ago, and went to the Pulitzer web site to confirm this.
Yes, the Star-Tribune has won only one Pulitzer, in 1990. I went through and compiled a list of newspapers that have won more. I eliminated the seventeen newspapers with more circulation than the Star-Tribune, and eliminated newspapers that hadn't won at least one of their Pulitzers since the Star-Tribune's 1990 award.
Philadelphia Inquirer (18)
Miami Herald (17)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (16)
Baltimore Sun (13)
Seattle Times (7)
St. Petersburg Times (6)
Christian Science Monitor (6)
Atlanta Constitution (6)
Kansas City Star (6)
Portland Oregonian (5)
Des Moines Register (5)
Denver Post (4)
Lexington (KY) Herald Leader (3)
Sacramento Bee (3)
Akron Beacon Journal (3)
Detroit News (3)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (3)
Village Voice (3)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (2)
Hartford Courant (2)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (2)
New Orleans Times-Picayune (2)
Albuquerque Journal (2)
Dayton (OH) News (2)
Indianapolis Star (2)
Lawrence (MA) Eagle-Tribune (2)
Memphis Commercial Appeal (2)
Raleigh (NC) News and Observer (2)
Orange County Register (2)
Philadelphia Daily News (2)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2)
Providence Journal-Bulletin (2)
The Star-Tribune's Pulitzer Peers:
(However, all of these newspapers have won their Pulitzer more recently)
Asbury Park Press, Neptune NJ
Birmingham (AL) News
Block Newspapers, Toledo OH
Boston Phoenix
Cincinnati Enquirer
Daily Tribune, Ames IA
Grand Forks (ND) Herald
Great Falls (MT) Tribune
Santa Rosa (CA) Press Democrat
Riverdale (NY) Press
Rutland (VT) Herald
Toledo Blade
Toronto Star
Virgin Island Daily News (St. Thomas)
White Plains (NY) Journal News
P.S. To be fair, I suppose I should note that two newspapers with more circulation than the Star-Tribune have won no Pulitzers: USA Today and Houston Chronicle.
Outstanding work Jim. At least the Strib is still ahead of The Springfield Shopper.
And the next time I'm ready to hurl my paper across the room in an exasperated pique of rage (probably tomorrow morning), I can at least take solace in the fact that it could be worse. I could be reading the Houston Chronicle. Those poor bastards in Houston.
UPDATE: Joel e-mails some information which seems to tarnish the Strib's lone major award:
Regarding your posting about the Star Tribune's sole Pulitzer, I think even that award is suspect.
As I recall, after the Star Tribune's article was published alleging that the St. Paul Fire Chief (Steve Conroy) was part of an arson-for-profit ring, the US District Attorney at the time (Thomas Haefflefinger) investigated and declined to prosecute on the basis of lack of evidence.
Later Conroy sued the Star Tribune for libel and there was an out-of-court settlement, with a condition prohibiting either party from disclosing any details of the agreement. I think this means in all likelihood the Strib paid some financial damages to Conroy (whether major or minor we'll never know). Perhaps they paid out some money so Conroy would just go away.
All in all, a not-very-impressive outcome. I think the journalists who won the Pulitzer (Lou Kilzer and Chris Ison) went to excessive lengths to link Conroy to the arson ring, and that this story was a put-up job.
Say it ain't true Lou.
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