•
Public Service: •
The Washington Post, notably for the work of
Katherine Boo that disclosed wretched neglect and abuse in the city's group homes for the intellectually disabled, which forced officials to acknowledge the conditions and begin reforms. •
Breaking News Reporting: • Staff of
The Denver Post, for its clear and balanced coverage of the
student massacre at Columbine High School. •
Investigative Reporting: •
Sang-Hun Choe,
Charles J. Hanley and
Martha Mendoza of the
Associated Press, for revealing, with extensive documentation, the decades-old secret of how
American soldiers early in the
Korean War killed hundreds of
Korean civilians in a massacre at the
No Gun Ri Bridge. •
Explanatory Reporting: •
Eric Newhouse of the
Great Falls Tribune, for his vivid examination of
alcohol abuse and the problems it creates in the community. •
Beat Reporting: •
George Dohrmann of the
St. Paul Pioneer Press, for his determined reporting, despite negative reader reaction, that revealed
academic fraud in the men's basketball program at the
University of Minnesota. •
National Reporting: • Staff of
The Wall Street Journal, for its revealing stories that question U.S. defense spending and military deployment in the
post–Cold War era and offer alternatives for the future. •
International Reporting: •
Mark Schoofs of
The Village Voice, for his provocative and enlightening series on the
AIDS crisis in Africa. •
Feature Writing: •
J.R. Moehringer of the
Los Angeles Times, for his portrait of
Gee's Bend, an isolated river community in
Alabama where many descendants of
slaves live, and how a proposed ferry to the mainland might change it. •
Commentary: •
Paul A. Gigot of
The Wall Street Journal, for his informative and insightful columns on politics and government. •
Criticism: •
Henry Allen of
The Washington Post, for his fresh and authoritative writing on
photography. •
Editorial Writing: •
John C. Bersia of the
Orlando Sentinel, for his passionate editorial campaign attacking
predatory lending practices in the state, which prompted changes in local lending regulations. •
Editorial Cartooning: •
Joel Pett of the
Lexington Herald-Leader •
Breaking News Photography: • Photo Staff of the
Denver Rocky Mountain News, for its powerful collection of emotional images taken after the student shootings at Columbine High School. •
Feature Photography: •
Carol Guzy,
Michael Williamson and
Lucian Perkins of
The Washington Post, for their intimate and poignant images depicting the plight of the
Kosovo refugees. ==Letters awards==