Lehigh Alumnus Leads Washington Post to Win Two Pulitzers
It was announced this week that the Washington Post, where Lehigh University College of Business and Economics alumnus Martin “Marty” Baron ‘76 serves as executive editor, has won two Pulitzer Prizes in recognition for its work over the past year.
The paper earned the Pulitzer public service medal for its work exposing the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs and another Pulitzer for reporter Eli Saslow’s striking series about the struggles of Americans who receive food stamps.
In a discussion with host David Greene at National Public Radio, Baron described his work on the NSA series as “legally and reputationally risky,” but in the end particularly rewarding. “This is an organization that in its history has taken on the most sensitive and difficult subjects, and we were prepared to do that again.” He added, “News organizations need to remain ambitious. They need to do the hardest stories and the most important stories, and they need to invest the resources in order to deliver those stories successfully. And if that requires confronting powerful institutions, we’re willing to take risks in service of the public interest.” Continue reading…
