The rise of digital content over the last decade has caused an upheaval across all facets of journalism, from reporting to publishing to distribution. Recognizing this, the industry’s highest honor, the Pulitzer Prizes, has also transformed its practices, reshaping its criteria and requiring all entrants to apply digitally, beginning with the 2012 awards.
The biggest change comes in the “Breaking News” category, where speed of reporting is emphasized and a variety of mediums are now required, stressing the importance of blogs and social media forms such as Twitter and Facebook alongside traditional tools. According to the Prize board, it would be unimpressed if “an event occurred at 8 a.m. and the first item in an entry was drawn from the next day’s newspaper.”
The new online-only submission process also ends a 95-year tradition of outlets filing scrapbook-like entries. Even photos must be digital.
[via Mashable]
