Does Dinesh Kamath deserve the Indian Equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing and Editorial Cartooning?

Does Dinesh Kamath deserve the Indian Equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing and Editorial Cartooning?

 Above: Dinesh Kamath, Editor of Newsband and Online Contributor

Above: The Pulitzer Prize

Many Fans of Dinesh Kamath feel that he deserves Indian Equivalent of the Pullitzer Prize for Editorial Writing and Editorial Cartooning. Here are some information about The Pullitzer Prize.

The Pulitzer Prize /ˈpʊlᵻtsər/ is an award for achievements in newspaperand online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of American (Hungarian-born) publisher Joseph Pulitzer, and is administered by Columbia University inNew York City. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.

Entry and prize consideration

The Pulitzer Prize does not automatically consider all applicable works in the media, but only those that have specifically entered. (There is a $50 entry fee, paid for each desired entry category.) Entries must fit in at least one of the specific prize categories, and cannot simply gain entrance for being literary or musical. Works can also only be entered in a maximum of two categories, regardless of their properties.

Each year, 102 judges are selected, by the Pulitzer Prize Board, to serve on 20 separate juries for the 21 award categories (one jury for both photography awards). Most juries consist of five members, except for those for public service, investigative reporting, beat reporting, feature writing and commentary categories, which have seven members. For each award category, a jury makes three nominations. The board selects the winner by majority vote from the nominations, or—75% majority vote—bypasses the nominations and selects a different entry. The board can also vote to issue no award. The board is not paid for its work. The jurors in letters, music, and drama get a $2000 honorarium for the year, and each chair gets $2500.

Difference between entrants and nominated finalists

Anyone whose work has been submitted is called an entrant. The jury selects a group of nominated finalists and announces them, together with the winner for each category. However, some journalists who were only submitted, but not nominated as finalists, still claim to be Pulitzer nominees in promotional material.

History

Newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer gave money in his will to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Prize. It allocated $250,000 to the prize and scholarships. He specified "four awards in journalism, four inletters and drama, one in education, and four traveling scholarships. After his death, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded June 4, 1917; they are now announced each April. The Chicago Tribune under the control of Colonel McCormick felt that the Pulitzer Prize was nothing more than a 'mutual admiration society' and not to be taken seriously; the paper refused to compete for the prize during McCormick's tenure up until 1961.

Individuals

Many people have won more than one Pulitzer Prize. No one has won both a prize for arts and letters and one for journalism (list below is incomplete). Nelson Harding is the only person to have won a prize in two consecutive years, the Editorial Cartooning Pulitzer in 1927 and 1928.

Newspapers

The prize for Public Service is awarded only to news organizations, not individuals. Awards for journalism categories such as General News Reporting may be awarded to individuals or newspapers or newspaper staffs.

 Awards are made in categories relating to newspaper journalism, arts, and letters and fiction. Only published reports and photographs by United States-based newspapers or daily news organizations are eligible for the journalism prize. Beginning in 2007, "An assortment of online elements will be permitted in all journalism categories except for the competition's two photography categories, which will continue to restrict entries to still images." In December 2008 it was announced that for the first time content published in online-only news sources would be considered.

Definitions of Pulitzer Prize categories as presented in the 2008 competition:

·        Public Service – for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources which, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics, videos, databases, multimedia or interactive presentations or other visual material, presented in print or online or both. Often thought of as the grand prize, and mentioned first in listings of the journalism prizes, the Public Service award is given to the newspaper, not to individuals, though individuals are often mentioned for their contributions. Alone among the Pulitzer Prizes, it is awarded in the form of the Joseph Pulitzer Gold Medal.

·        Breaking News Reporting – for a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news.

·        Investigative Reporting – for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single newspaper article or series.

·        Explanatory Reporting – for a distinguished example of explanatory newspaper reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing, and clear presentation.

·        Local Reporting – for a distinguished example of local newspaper reporting that illuminates significant issues or concerns.^[10]

·        National Reporting – for a distinguished example of newspaper reporting on national affairs.

·        International Reporting – for a distinguished example of newspaper reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence.

·        Feature Writing – for a distinguished example of newspaper feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality.

·        Commentary – for distinguished commentary.

·        Criticism – for distinguished criticism.

·        Editorial Writing – for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clarity of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer perceives to be the right direction.

·        Editorial Cartooning – for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect.

·        Breaking News Photography, previously called Spot News Photography – for a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album.

·        Feature Photography – for a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album.

There are six categories in letters and drama:

·        Fiction – for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.

·        Drama – for a distinguished play by an American playwright, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.

·        History – for a distinguished book on the history of the United States.

·        Biography or Autobiography – for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author.

·        Poetry – for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American poet.

·        General Non-Fiction – for a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category.

There is one prize given for music:

·        Pulitzer Prize for Music – for a distinguished musical contribution by an American that had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year.

There have been dozens of Special Citations and Awards: more than ten each in Arts, Journalism, and Letters, and five for Pulitzer Prize service, most recently to Joseph Pulitzer, Jr. in 1985.

In addition to the prizes, Pulitzer travelling fellowships are awarded to four outstanding students of the Graduate School of Journalism as selected by the faculty.

The question: Does Dinesh Kamath deserve the Indian Equivalent of The Pulitzer Prize?