Joe Strupp of Media Matters for America examines why The Wall Street Journal has not won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting since it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. in 2007.
Strupp writes, “But for a newspaper of the Journal‘s size and stature, such a long stretch may be a sign of its goals. Murdoch has reportedly made clear that he does not prioritize the kind of in-depth, long form journalism that often wins these awards.
“Such an approach sparked an exodus of some of the Journal‘s best news people almost immediately after Murdoch took over, including some who had won Pulitzers and others who went on to win elsewhere.
“Over the years, many media observers have even speculated to me (often absent any particular evidence) that the 19-person Pulitzer Board — whose members included Journal Editorial Page Editor Paul Gigot — is against Murdoch.
“It is odd, however, that in the National Reporting category, won by The Gazette of Colorado Springs, the Journal took two of the three finalist nods. That makes ten Journal finalists who were not awarded Pulitzers under Murdoch’s ownership. This could say something about how the full board views the paper — but whether it’s a criticism of the paper’s leadership or a judgment that the paper’s best reporting no longer measures up is impossible to say.”
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