Willamette Week wins Pulitzer for Goldschmidt story.

[kaitykaity]

As if they weren't arrogant enough already. :gaack:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4913652,00.html

Alternative Weekly in Ore. Celebrates Win

Monday April 4, 2005 11:46 PM
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Nigel Jaquiss stared off into space, his eyes brimming with tears when word hit the tiny alternative weekly's newsroom that he had won a Pulitzer Prize, journalism's most-coveted award, for uncovering a 3-decade-old sex abuse scandal involving a former governor.

``I never thought it would happen to me,'' said Jaquiss, 42, a former Wall Street oil trader who is now an investigative reporter at the Willamette Week.

Following up leads that larger papers had overlooked, Jaquiss documented a three-year-long sexual relationship between Neil Goldschmidt, then mayor of Portland, and a 14-year-old girl who baby sat for his children. After serving as mayor, Goldschmidt became governor and, during the Carter administration, U.S. transportation secretary.

Willamette Week, which has an unpaid circulation of 90,000, published Jaquiss' story last May.

``I think most of us know how unusual it is for a paper our size to win this award,'' Editor Mark Zusman said.

``I don't think I could have done the work I did anywhere else,'' Jaquiss told reporters gathered in the newspaper's office.

Founded 30 years ago, Willamette Week has carved a niche with its unflinching look at Oregon politics and its whimsical reviews of rock bands and cheap restaurants.

[stevedeshazer]

1. Congrats to them

Even though I disagree with them about 60% of the time.

MAJOR egg on the face of the Oregroanian, they let WW scoop them while they executed their ass-covering of all the money players in town that were associated with Goldschmidt. They sat on the story for YEARS.

You'd think that they'd have learned their lesson after the Bob Packwood coverup/scandal back in 1994.

I'm no big Willamette Weak fan, but maybe they finally whacked the "2001 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE" line off the Oregonian's smug masthead for good. I sure as hell hope so.

[kaitykaity]

3. I hope there's some heads rolling at The O.

How embarrassing! Lol.

I guess I should have said kudos to WW as well, but the
attitude of the whole paper just get on my nerves.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Score 1 for the alternative press! Very cool. N/T

[Blue Belle]

4. That's great.

I love to see reporters from alternative papers get recognized for their work. They are the only ones who aren't afraid to seek and publish the truth anymore.

[depakid]

5. Of all the things to win the Pulitzer for....

They ought to have won the prize for exposing the crooks at Texas Pacific who were trying to take over PGE- with the nominal backing of some prominanet and corrupt Oregonians... including Goldshmidt and OHSU President Peter Kohler- who needs to resign over his rol inm this.

Now that was story with serious repercussions that really affected people- in a positive way- and prevented a looting of hundreds of thousands of ratepayers- along with (quite probably) the state treasury.

[0rganism]

6. Hell yeah, at first I thought it was the TPG takeover story that won it

That was the really big story. Goldschmidt's decades-old statutory rape pales in comparison to the amazing corruption of his current associates.

Still, this is a nice change of pace. Who knows, maybe next year it'll be Dave Mazza and the Portland Alliance winning the big prize.

[Caoimhe]

7. I can't help but think

What this really does is reward a reporter for essentially digging through someones trash. And not just any trash, but 20 year old trash. I wish they'd focus on the scandals that are costing us our freedoms and our paychecks.