The list of Pulitzer finalists is out. (Well, sort of — it’s an unofficial, leaked list. The finalists aren’t officially announced until the winners are.)
Here, for no particular reason, are my picks:
- Commentary: Kristof (I think judges will think Chris Rose’s New Orleans stuff too “soft”)
Investigative: WaPo (Abramoff) - National: NYT (wiretapping), although San Diego could sneak in
- Public Service: WaPo (secret prisons), although the Times-Picayune should be a finalist here
- International: LAT (Muslims in Europe)
- Explanatory: Miami Herald (and sort of a second Pulitzer for my ex-colleague Mike Sallah, who edited the package)
- Breaking News: Times-Picayune
Those are all the reporting categories — I make no guesses on cartooning and photography, except to say that the DMN is a finalist in Spot News Photography for our Katrina work and I think we’ll take it.