Road to 'DAMN.':
When the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Music jury began reviewing contemporary classical compositions influenced by hip-hop, a breakthrough was reached. 'This sphere of work has value on its own terms and not just as a resource for use in a field that is more broadly recognized by the institutional establishment as serious or legitimate,' juror David Hajdu recalled.
Denied:
FCC Chair Ajit Pai rejected a request from twelve Democratic senators to review Sinclair Media Group's broadcast license and pause a proposed merger with Tribune Media. The request was prompted by a scripted segment that echoed Trump administration rhetoric concerning "fake news."
Stegner's Utah:
Although he spent much of his life in California as the founding director of Stanford University's storied creative writing program, 1972 Fiction winner Wallace Stegner always considered Utah ‘home.’ The Deseret News traced Stegner's connections to the state.
50 Years Ago:
Moneta Sleet's Pulitzer Prize-winning photo — the first won by an African American journalist — captured Coretta Scott and Bernice King at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. Roy Peter Clark and Rev. Kenny Irby recently discussed Sleet's legacy 50 years after that tragic day.
Fortuitous Fortune Cookie:
‘The bard of Albany,’ 1984 Fiction winner William Kennedy, toiled in obscurity for decades in the shadow of such luminaries as Hunter S. Thompson and 1976 Fiction winner Saul Bellow. But as detailed in The Guardian, that all changed with a fortune cookie.
'The Silence':
Fiction winner and Pulitzer Board member Junot Díaz revealed that he was raped by a trusted figure at age 8. In a New Yorker essay, Díaz ruminated on how the assault affected his life, leading to infidelities, alcohol abuse and a suicide attempt. Now in therapy, he has learned that ‘repair is never-ceasing.’
Representation Matters:
Disney-Hyperion editor Patrice Caldwell's People of Color in Publishing is dedicated to ‘supporting, empowering and uplifting racially and ethnically marginalized members throughout the industry.’ Caldwell told Bustle: ‘Yes, I know when it's time to be a professional, but also being an editor/writer/founder of People of Color in Publishing/online activist is who I am.’
Zuckerberg Speaks:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg conceded in prepared testimony: "We didn’t do enough to prevent ... tools" — including "fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy" — "from being used for harm." Zuckerberg unveiled a slate of reforms, including AI tools and enhanced vetting of political advertisers.
Bad Data:
A Politico report contends, ‘[Donald] Trump outperformed ... Mitt Romney in counties with the lowest numbers of news subscribers.’ Joshua Benton of Nieman Reports was skeptical: "News deserts are a real thing — but you can’t just decide that a single ... data point about America’s fourth-most-popular form of media is the be-all and end-all."
Newsroom Revolt:
Following several rounds of layoffs, The Denver Post Editorial Board called for ‘vulture capitalist’ hedge fund Alden Global Capital to sell the paper to an owner ‘who supports its newsroom.’ Alden has admitted to diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from its Digital First Media properties to other Alden investments.
