Technorati shows spike in posts on Pulitzers

The announcement that the Pulitzer Prizes in journalism, have expanded to include online only publications has been widely covered in the mainstream media and blogosphere.

In a news release, Sig Gissler of the Pulitzer Prize Board said:

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. 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.

This is a welcomed move by the Pulitzers, even if it comes rather late in the day.  Some have even suggested it is a big day for citizen journalism.

But there is an important caveat attached to the decision to allow entries made up entirely of online content to be submitted in all 14 categories.

Perhaps fearing a flood of citizen media entries, the Pulitzer Prize Board stressed that all material should come from US news organizations that publish at least weekly.

It also added that these much be “primarily dedicated to original news reporting and coverage of ongoing stories,” and “adhere to the highest journalistic principles.”

In a typically snarky post, Gawker celebrates this as good news, arguing this means most online publications won’t be eligible.

Pulitzer has clearly decided to apply existing journalistic norms and practices to the web world and this will favour established media. Would it consider Gawker, the Drudge Report, iReport or NowPublic as adhering to “the highest journalistic principles”?

Maybe there should be a new category to recognise innovation and risk-taking, even if this fails outside of established journalism norms.

At least the Pulitzer Board says it will continue to monitor the impact of the Internet.