National Enquirer Continues Campaign for Pulitzer Prize Despite Pushback

2 years ago

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National Enquirer Editor Barry Levine said Friday that he is still going to nominate his reporters for a Pulitzer Prize, despite the Pulitzer committee chair's pre-emptive strike to try to stop the process. The prize administrator, Sig Gissler, said that the National Enquirer is ineligible because it's considered a magazine and because most of the reporting on the John Edwards affair and cover-up was before 2009, according to ABC News.

After hearing of Gissler's comments before the Enquirer had submitted forms for the nomination, which are due Feb. 1, Levine told me that the Pulitzer committee is "obviously trying to hide behind a technicality -- whether we're a newspaper or magazine." He said that "they really don't want to have to face the fact that The Enquirer is doing the job of the big newspapers in breaking a story like this. If it wasn't this, they'd say we're ineligible over paying tipsters."

Since I initially called for The National Enquirer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking the John Edwards scandal two weeks ago, the mainstream media has acknowledged the legitimacy of the paper's reporting; the public has supported the effort; and Levine decided to follow up on my suggestion and submit nominations for two categories for the award.

Has the Pulitzer committee ever announced in the public domain that a news organization would not be eligible for the award? And, why didn't the Pulitzer committee wait until the National Enquirer submitted the nomination before determining eligibility – i.e. what facts did Gissler use in his determination without seeing Levine's submission?

"They don't want to admit that the Enquirer and the bloggers are breaking stories and driving the news agenda," Levine said in response. "The fact is, they need to get their head out of the sand."

When I heard about the Pulitzer announcement Friday, I was concerned that the National Enquirer – the mighty little engine that could bring down a two-time Democratic presidential nominee's career and launch a grand jury investigation -- would back down. But Levine assured me this campaign was still in full swing, and he is not backing down.

"I'm still, more than ever, making the submissions next week to the Pulitzer Prize board, Levine said. "Our reporters, photographers and researchers who worked on this story for so long over so many years deserve it!"

Follow me on Twitter @EmilyMillerDC

Filed Under: Emily's Post

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