Finalist: Crime and Punishment in America , by Elliott Currie (Metropolitan Books )
The Jury
The Jury
Robert D. Wyatt(chair )
professor of journalism, former book editor
Patricia Nelson Limerick
chair of the Center of the American West and professor of History
Jack Miles*
senior advisor to the president
Winners in General Nonfiction
1999 Prize Winners
Duke Ellington
Bestowed posthumously, commemorating the centennial year of his birth, in recognition of his musical genius, which evoked aesthetically the principles of democracy through the medium of jazz and thus made an indelible contribution to art and culture.
Chuck Philips and Michael A. Hiltzik
For their stories on corruption in the entertainment industry, including a charity sham sponsored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, illegal detoxification programs for wealthy celebrities, and a resurgence of radio payola.
Staff
For its clear and detailed coverage of a shooting rampage in which a state lottery worker killed four supervisors then himself.