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The 1986 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Public Service

Finalist: Dallas Times Herald , by Staff

For its coverage of the crash of Delta flight 191 on August 2, 1985, and the resultant series, "How Safe are the Skies?," which examined air traffic safety in the United States and found it wanting.

Winners

Prize Winner in Public Service in 1986:

The Denver Post

For its in-depth study of "missing children," which revealed that most are involved in custody disputes or are runaways, and which helped mitigate national fears stirred by exaggerated statistics. Public Service

Finalists

Nominated as finalists in Public Service in 1986:

Staff

For its investigation into allegations of systematic and widespread torture of prison inmates by jailers in the Jackson County Jail in Marianna, Florida, which resulted in the indictment of seven prison guards.

The Jury

Arthur Gelb(Chair)

Deputy Managing Editor, The New York Times

John M. Crewdson*

West Coast Correspondent, Chicago Tribune

Sara Engram

Deputy Editor, Editorial Page, Baltimore Evening Sun

Heath J. Meriwether

Executive Editor, Miami Herald

Acel Moore*

Associate Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Winners in Public Service

1985

Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram

For reporting by Mark J. Thompson which revealed that nearly 250 U.S. servicemen had lost their lives as a result of a design problem in helicopters built by Bell Helicopter -a revelation which ultimately led the Army to ground almost 600 Huey helicopters pending their modification.
1984

Los Angeles Times

For an in-depth examination of southern California's growing Latino community by a team of editors and reporters.
1983

Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger

For its successful campaign supporting Governor Winter in his legislative battle for reform of Mississippi's public education system.
1982

The Detroit News

For a series by Sydney P. Freedberg and David Ashenfelter which exposed the U.S. Navy's cover-up of circumstances surrounding the deaths of seamen aboard ship and which led to significant reforms in naval procedures.
See All Public Service

1986 Prize Winners

See All 1986 Winners