2006 Finalists

Public Service

The Washington Post

For its exhaustive and illuminating exploration of the government's war on terrorism and the ensuing tension between national security and individual liberty.

The Blade, Toledo, OH

For its relentless probe of the state's investment in a rare-coin fund that exposed illegal actions by the governor and other state officials, spurring successful criminal prosecution and other corrective action.

Breaking News Reporting

Staff of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For its swift and rigorous accounts of a shooting rampage by a prisoner who seized a deputy sheriff's gun and killed a judge and three others.

Staff of South Florida Sun-Sentinel

For its clear, cohesive and enterprising coverage of Hurricane Wilma after it battered a region still recovering from major storms the previous year.

Investigative Reporting

Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino of Los Angeles Times

For their exposure of problems in the management of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's richest art institution, and in acquisition practices at other museums.

Sally Kestin, Megan O'Matz and John Maines of South Florida Sun-Sentinel

For their in-depth reports on the federal government's widespread mismanagement of hurricane aid, triggering indictments and other remedial action.

Explanatory Reporting

Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald

For her deeply researched examination of breakdowns in hurricane forecasting that often endanger lives.

Mark Johnson and Kawanza Newson of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

For their riveting chronicle of a teenage girl's miraculous recovery from a rabies infection that medicine had previously considered fatal.

Beat Reporting

Barry Meier of The New York Times

For his original, strongly documented stories on a flawed heart-defibrillator that imperiled the safety of unwitting patients.

Jerry Mitchell of The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS

For his relentless and masterly stories on the successful prosecution of a man accused of orchestrating the killing of three civil rights workers in 1964.

National Reporting

Michael Moss of The New York Times

For his tenacious, thoroughly researched stories on the bureaucratic inertia that led to the fatal injury of American soldiers in Iraq who lacked protective armor.

International Reporting

Steve Fainaru of The Washington Post

For his powerful accounts of the deadly violence faced by ordinary American soldiers in Iraq as an insurgency intensified.

Sebastian Rotella of Los Angeles Times

For his well crafted reports on restive Muslims in Europe that foretold riots in France.

Feature Writing

Dan Barry of The New York Times

For his rich portfolio of pieces capturing slices of life in hurricane-battered New Orleans as well as his own New York City.

Mary Schmich of Chicago Tribune

For her intimate and compelling story about a federal judge whose husband and mother were murdered by an angry former plaintiff.

Commentary

Chris Rose of The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA

For his vibrant and compassionate columns that gave voice to the afflictions of his city after it was struck by Hurricane Katrina.

Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For her pungent, clear-eyed columns that tackled controversial issues with frankness and fortitude.

Criticism

Nicolai Ouroussoff of The New York Times

For his graceful, contemplative and wide ranging critiques of architecture and urban design from New Orleans to Berlin.

Jerry Saltz of The Village Voice, a New York City weekly

For his fresh, down-to-earth pieces on the visual arts and other cultural topics.

Editorial Writing

Editorial Board of The Birmingham (AL) News

For its series of incisive editorials reversing the paper's long-held support of the death penalty.

B. Marie Harris, Tony Biffle and Stan Tiner of Sun Herald, Biloxi-Gulfport, MS

For their passionate editorials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that empathized with victims while pleading for relief from the outside world.

Editorial Cartooning

Marshall Ramsey of The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS

For his vivid, wide ranging cartoons that express crisp opinions with uncomplicated artistry.

Mike Thompson of Detroit Free Press

For diverse cartoons that use wit, irony and artistic flair to sharpen their impact.

Breaking News Photography

Carolyn Cole and Brian Vander Brug of Los Angeles Times

For their spellbinding coverage of Israel's emotion-packed withdrawal from Gaza.

Eric Gay of Associated Press

For his multifaceted coverage of the human suffering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city.

Feature Photography

Mike Stocker of South Florida Sun-Sentinel

For his imaginative exploration of Holocaust survivors as Judaism faces a new century.

Damon Winter of Los Angeles Times

For his sensitive portrayal of two remote Eskimo villages coping with memories of sexual abuse by a missionary 30 years ago.