For a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to the Los Angeles Times Staff for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of the massive wildfires that imperiled a populated region of southern California.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: The Miami Herald Staff for its immediate and distinctive search for the cause of the Columbia space shuttle disaster, and Staff of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y., for its enterprising coverage of the summertime blackout that stretched over a vast area of the United States and cut the paper's own power supply as deadlines loomed.