"These changes help ensure that in the multimedia age, the Pulitzer Prizes will continue to recognize the very best journalism in all formats,” said Pulitzer Board Co-Chairs David M. Kennedy and Amanda Bennett.
Robinson’s essays on politics, culture and events have helped shape the debate on issues such as the war in Iraq, the limits of presidential power and the rebuilding of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. He is a regular commentator on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and also appears frequently on MSNBC, CNN and other media outlets.
Much in demand as a speaker, Díaz has been honored frequently for his work. He has received a Eugene McDermott Award, a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, a Lila Acheson Wallace Readers Digest Award, the 2002 Pen/Malamud Award, the 2003 US-Japan Creative Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Bennett and Kennedy have served on the Pulitzer Board since 2002. They replace Anders Gyllenhaal, executive editor of The Miami Herald, who recently completed his tenure as chair. Members of the Board serve a maximum of nine years while a chair serves for only one year.
VandeHei, a native of Oshkosh, Wis., is a regular political analyst on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and is a frequent guest on numerous cable and network television programs. He co-moderated two televised presidential debates during the 2008 campaign with MSNBC and CNN, including the first debate to incorporate questions voted on by a live online audience. He is also a public speaker, giving speeches and moderating debates and panel discussions on politics, new media and the future of journalism.
The Board will continue to monitor developments in digital journalism, Gissler said.
A member of the Board since 2001, Gyllenhaal replaces Richard Oppel, former editor of the Austin American-Statesman. Board members serve a maximum of nine years.
"This is an important step forward, reflecting our continued commitment to American newspapers as well as our willingness to adapt to the remarkable growth of online journalism," said Sig Gissler, administrator of the Prizes. "The new rules enlarge the Pulitzer tent and recognize more fully the role of the Web, while underscoring the enduring value of words and of serious reporting.”
Beck, as the prize-winning executive editor of the Argus Leader from 2001 to 2008, led his newspaper through numerous public service, investigative and First Amendment projects. Keven Ann Willey, a native of Washington, D.C., became vice president and editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News in November 2002. Her editorial department’s successful four-year campaign to amend the state constitution to require legislators to publicly record their votes by name was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing.
Dehli, who was appointed vice president for news in 2006, leads strategic efforts to strengthen the company's print and online journalism. She also oversees journalism training, which includes the curriculum of Lee Online University, a companywide program she helped create.