For a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation, Seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to the Chicago Tribune Staff for "Gateway to Gridlock," its clear and compelling profile of the chaotic American air traffic system.

Columbia University President George Rupp (left) presents (left to right) Louise Kiernan, Melissa Deegan, Jon Hilkevitch, John Schmeltzer and Bob Fila, of the Chicago Tribune, with the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.

Finalists

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Louise Kiernan of the Chicago Tribune for her moving and humane portrait of a young mother killed by a falling skyscraper window, its effect on her three-year-old daughter, and the negligence of the company involved, and The New York Times Staff for its insightful coverage of the completed deciphering of the human genome, which explained the scientific context for understanding the chemical string that makes up DNA, as well as the discovery's implications for the future.