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Washington (dpa) - Two local US newspapers won Pulitzer prizes Monday for keeping up reporting during Hurricane Katrina, while the Washington Post and the New York Times won for exposing secret CIA prisons and a domestic spying programme by the US government.
The prize jury called the work of the New Orleans-based Times- Picayune "heroic" and that of the Sun Herald from Biloxi, Mississippi, "valorous," awarding both papers a prize for public service.
The jury praised the Times-Picayune for continuing its coverage of the storm, which devastated New Orleans, even though the staff was directly affected and the newspaper had to vacate its offices. The Times-Picayune also received the award for breaking news reporting.
The Sun Herald provided a "lifeline" for victims of the hurricane, which hit the US Gulf Coast last August, the jury said.
The annual Pulitzers are considered the top honours in US journalism.
The Washington Post won four, including one for its reporting on secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe.
The New York Times won three, including one for its expose about a wiretapping programme without court approval that allows US authorities to listen in on phone conversations of Americans.
President George W. Bush has staunchly defended the previously secret programme, which he authorized as an anti-terrorism measure.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
