Rocky’s ‘Final Salute’ Feature Earns a Pair of Pultizers

By Howard Rothman, 4-17-06

Denver's Rocky Mountain News was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes on Monday morning, both for a special report called Final Salute that told in words and pictures about U.S. Marines who notify survivors after a death in Iraq. The awards went to Jim Sheeler, 37, for feature writing and Todd Heisler, 34, for feature photography. Their story was published last year on Veteran's Day and the awards increased the News’ total Pulitzer count to four — it previously won a pair of breaking news photography awards, in 2000 for its coverage of the Columbine massacre and in 2003 for coverage of the statewide wildfires — and pulled it into a tie with the Denver Post, which had captured three of the industry's top awards before also winning one in 2000 for its breaking news reporting of Columbine events.

Other winners this year include The Sun Herald of Biloxi, Miss., and The Times-Picayune of New Orleans for meritorious public service following Hurricane Katrina; the Washington Post for its probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff; the New York Times for uncovering secret domestic eavesdropping; Portland’s Oregonian for editorials about mental hospital abuses; and Thelonious Monk “for a body of distinguished and innovative musical composition that has had a significant and enduring impact on the evolution of jazz.” [End of article]