By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
One of my favorite religion writers just won a Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award in journalism.
Mega-congrats to Peter Smith of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette!
The Post-Gazette staff — including Smith, president of the Religion News Association — earned the Pulitzer for Breaking News Reporting.
That paper was cited for “immersive, compassionate coverage of the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that captured the anguish and resilience of a community thrust into grief.”
I liked what David Shribman, the Post-Gazette’s executive editor and vice president, told his newsroom: “There isn’t one of us in this room who wouldn’t exchange the Pulitzer Prize for those 11 lives.”
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All of my GetReligion columns (April 2019):
• Texas papers deliver more hard-hitting, must-read reporting on Southern Baptists’ ‘Abuse of Faith.’ Published April 1.
• Buddhist vs. Muslim: Journalists ask why SCOTUS intervened in one death penalty case, not another. Published April 2.
• Religious freedom case involving Buddhist death row inmate in Texas just got more intriguing. Published April 4.
• Friday Five: New D.C. archbishop, United Methodist left, Pete Buttigieg, LDS shift, Ed Stetzer’s tweet. Published April 5.
• Key question: Can American Jews vote in Israel’s high-stakes balloting for prime minister? Published April 8.
• In a politically polarized era (think red and blue), what does it mean to be a purple church? Published April 10.
• Friday Five: Pope emeritus news, Beto O’Rourke’s holy dirt, Israel’s election, religious press awards. Published April 12.
• Is it me or does this NYT story on anti-abortion movie ‘Unplanned’ contain a lot of extra qualifiers? Published April 13.
• A string of teen suicides in Utah — might town’s Mormon influence offer relevant context? Published April 16.
• Given the byline on this profile of radio personality Delilah, it’s no surprise that it gets religion. Published April 17.
• Big news on Godbeat: President of Religion News Association wins Pulitzer for Tree of Life coverage. Published April 18.
• Friday Five: Religious holidays, Notre Dame fire, declining church ties, journalist grants, Chick-fil-A. Published April 19.
• ‘We got $1,000 from an atheist’: Amid lots of bad news, here’s an inspiring Easter story you must read. Published April 23.
• Major Godbeat news! Lilly grant to fund 13 writers, editors at RNS, AP, The Conversation. Published April 24.
• A day after Lilly Endowment news, Associated Press posts job opening ads for seven religion journalists. Published April 25.
• Friday Five: Godbeat grant, Sri Lanka bombings, Easter perspective, Israel outlook, softball hot dogs. Published April 26.
• Some of the best religion stories start with a question — this one about NYT’s David Brooks, for example. Published April 29.
• Yes, we’d love to know more about the ‘God thing’ in viral story of woman invited to eat with strangers. Published April 30.
The Ross News 