The Seattle Times wins 11th Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
For Immediate Release — May. 4, 2020
Lindsay Taylor, Consumer Marketing Manager
SEATTLE — The Seattle Times won a 2020 Pulitzer Prize today for National Reporting. The prize, announced via live stream, is the news organization’s 11th Pulitzer and third win in the National Reporting category. The Seattle Times received the award for yearlong coverage that exposed design flaws in Boeing’s 737 Max, reported by Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb. The Seattle Times was the first to reveal how Boeing misinformed the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines about key features of the plane’s automated flight control system. Read the coverage at st.news/737Max.
The Pulitzer Prize is journalism’s highest honor, recognizing excellence and significant accomplishments in journalism. Seattle Times Executive Editor Michele Matassa Flores said, “At a time when local journalism is in peril, this award for National Reporting underscores the value of local and regional news organizations throughout the country. Independent voices and deep digging for the truth do matter. Our coverage ultimately has been about finding the truth for families who lost loved ones in the two 737 Max crashes – and about keeping air travel safe for the flying public. We’re honored our work has been recognized by the Pulitzers.”
Publisher Frank Blethen, a fourth-generation steward whose family has owned The Seattle Times since 1896, added, “Winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting is an amazing feat for a local metropolitan newspaper. We cobbled together precious resources following the Great Recession to carve a path to shine brighter than ever when our community needs us most. We have remained a family that is focused on our mission and public service. Today, we celebrate Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb, led by Executive Editor Michele Matassa Flores, Managing Editor Ray Rivera and Business Editor Rami Grunbaum.”
The Seattle Times has received 10 other Pulitzer Prizes, including the 2015 award for Breaking News Reporting for coverage of the Oso landslide.