(Courtesy of The New York Times)
In what The New York Times lauded as a "momentous" achievement for student journalism, Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy offered special acknowledgement to one particular entry during the 2019 Prize announcement — the work of The Eagle Eye, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's student newspaper.
"These budding journalists remind us of the media’s unwavering commitment to bearing witness, even in the most wrenching of circumstances, in service to a nation whose very existence depends on a free and dedicated press," Canedy said. "There is hope in their example."
The entry, which was crossfiled in the Public Service and Breaking News Reporting categories, included a special memorial issue devoted to remembrances of the 17 students, teachers and coaches lost in the mass shooting of February 14, 2018. A subsequent issue covering the emergence of the March for Our Lives movement was also included.
Minutes after Canedy's acknowledgment of the student journalists' work, the South Florida Sun Sentinel received this year's Public Service Prize alongside a nomination for the Breaking News Reporting Prize for its coverage of the massacre.
The student journalists completed the entries on deadline in late January after inquiring about the eligibility of entries from student news organizations. The Pulitzer Prize office receives a handful of entries from high school and college publications every year.
"The work our newspaper did last year — and continues to do this year — was the most newsworthy work we've done and probably ever will do," said Hannah Kapoor, a senior and Eagle Eye contributor who intends to remain in journalism after commencing studies at Princeton University in the fall.
"They're the future," said Canedy. "We're in good hands with young people like this."
Read the full New York Times article here.
Read Canedy's full remarks here.