Professor of journalism serves as juror for Pulitzer Prize

LAWRENCE — Patricia Weems Gaston, Lacy C. Haynes Professor of Journalism at the University of Kansas, served as a juror for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize is regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievement and musical composition.

Gaston was part of the International Reporting Jury that met at Columbia University in late February. The jury made three nominations and sent them to the Pulitzer Board, which selects the winner. The winners and nominated finalists were announced May 6.

"This was a full-circle moment for me, given that I co-edited a winning project in the early 1990s," Gaston said. "The jury process is not for the faint of heart, but it is awe-inspiring to read thoughtful, well-written pieces given continued downturns in our industry." 

Gaston was co-editor of the Dallas Morning News' 1994 Pulitzer Prize-winning series that looked at the universality of violence against women. The 1981 journalism school graduate returned to KU in 2018 to teach after a long career at The Washington Post, where she was an editor who worked on several desks including national, foreign and editorial.