Finalist: The Washington Post, by Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Brady Dennis
For their vivid, richly documented explanation of why AIG, the insurance industry giant, nearly collapsed and what lessons the crisis holds for the nation's policymakers.
Winners
Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting in 2009:
Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart
For their fresh and painstaking exploration into the cost and effectiveness of attempts to combat the growing menace of wildfires across the western United States.
Explanatory Reporting
Finalists
Nominated as finalists in Explanatory Reporting in 2009:
Adam Liptak
For his lucid exposition of how the cornerstones of the American judicial system differ from those in other democratic nations, awakening readers to the benefits and drawbacks of those differences.
The Jury
The Jury
Jeff Leen(chair )
assistant managing editor/investigative
Martin Baron
editor
Gary R. Clark
managing editor/news
William K. Marimow*
editor
Calvin Stovall
executive editor
Robyn Tomlin
executive editor
Kinsey Wilson
senior vice president and general manager/digital media
Winners in Explanatory Reporting
Amy Harmon
For her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports.
Kenneth R. Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling, and Rick Loomis
For their richly portrayed reports on the world's distressed oceans, telling the story in print and online, and stirring reaction among readers and officials.
David Finkel
For his ambitious, clear-eyed case study of the United States government's attempt to bring democracy to Yemen.
Gareth Cook
For explaining, with clarity and humanity, the complex scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cell research.
2009 Prize Winners
Patrick Farrell
For his provocative, impeccably composed images of despair after Hurricane Ike and other lethal storms caused a humanitarian disaster in Haiti.
W.S. Merwin
A collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory.
Las Vegas Sun, and notably the courageous reporting by Alexandra Berzon
For the exposure of the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip amid lax enforcement of regulations, leading to changes in policy and improved safety conditions.
Staff
For its swift and sweeping coverage of a sex scandal that resulted in the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, breaking the story on its Web site and then developing it with authoritative, rapid-fire reports.