Pulitzer Prize awarded to Press Democrat for wildfire coverage

The Press Democrat was awarded the Pulitzer Prize on Monday, the highest award in American journalism, for its coverage of the most devastating wildfires in California history.

The newspaper was honored in the category of Breaking News for its online and print coverage of the October fires, which killed 40 people and destroyed 6,190 homes in the region.

The Pulitzer Committee lauded the paper “for lucid and tenacious coverage of historic wildfires that ravaged the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, expertly utilizing an array of tools, including photography, video and social media platforms, to bring clarity to its readers — in real time and in subsequent in-depth reporting.”

The newsroom on Mendocino Avenue erupted in cheers and hugs as the awards were announced shortly after noon. While the paper has won several other journalism awards for its fire coverage, snaring a Pulitzer is the pinnacle of American journalism.

“This is such a proud day for our newsroom. Our staff headed directly toward the flames to bring powerful and continual reporting of this story, even as they sent their families to safety,” Executive Editor Catherine Barnett said.

“So many of our friends and families lost their homes and so much more on that October night. While we celebrate today with journalism’s highest prize, we keep them in our hearts.”

Press Democrat veteran photographer Kent Porter, whose images from the first night of the fires are as harrowing as the story of how he captured them, said he was conflicted about the award.

“I feel proud that we won this prestigious award, but it’s tempered by the loss and destruction that our community suffered,” Porter said.

See all of the Press Democrat’s wildfire coverage here.

Press Democrat publisher Steve Falk, who took the helm of the paper after its 2012 acquisition by Sonoma Media Investments, said he couldn’t be prouder of the newsroom.

“The real test of a newspaper is in a disaster, and our journalists rose to the occasion when our community needed them most,” Falk said.

During the month of October, the 47,000-circulation newspaper’s website had nearly 5 million unique users and 78 million page views, Falk said. He said the award validated SMI’s business model of local ownership investing in local journalism.

“We aren’t reporting to corporate types. We aren’t reporting to Wall Street. We are reporting to readers,” Falk said.

Darius Anderson, managing partner of SMI, said he was “still in shock” Monday evening.

“Essentially, it’s like watching the newsroom win the Super Bowl,” said Anderson, who was on his way to Sacramento when he heard the news. “It’s just such an amazing day.

“To have the highest award in journalism come to Sonoma County for such a monumental and tragic event, I think really goes to show the amazing work that everyone did during a time of crisis.”

Anderson said when he led the investment group to purchase The Press Democrat, “never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we’d win a Pulitzer.”

It is the second Pulitzer awarded to The Press Democrat. The newspaper in 1997 won the award for Spot News Photography for a photo by Annie Wells of a firefighter rescuing a teenager from raging floodwaters.

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