South Florida Sun-Sentinel Wins First Pulitzer Prize
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4/AP) - The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, based in Fort Lauderdale, has won it's first Pulitzer Prize.
The Broward paper won the public service award for it's investigation into off-duty police officers who recklessly sped in patrol cars and endangered the life of citizens. The investigation led to disciplinary action against the offending officers and sweeping changes in the department.
Sun-Sentinel Editor Howard Saltz said it's great to win a Pulitzer, but he was especially proud to win for this particular story.
"It feels great to win for that story, because it really changed things here for the better," Saltz said. "This type of journalism made the community safer, and it made certain people behave in a more appropriate and just way," Saltz said. "And that's really what journalism is all about."
The Sun-Sentinel wasn't the only Florida paper to be recognized with a Pulitzer. The Tampa Bay Times won the editorial writing award for its campaign that helped reverse a decision to end fluoridation of the water supply for the 700,000 residents of the newspaper's home county.
Pulitzer Prizes are awarded annually for achievements in the fields journalism, literature and musical composition.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
