Joseph Pulitzer and the Story Behind the Pulitzer Prize was written by Susan Zannos. This is a brief autobiography on Joseph Pulitzer who, like Alfred Nobel, wanted to recognize individuals for exemplary deeds and/or actions. Unlike Nobel, Joseph Pulitzer created prizes (or recognitions) in the areas of journalism and the arts.
Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847, in Hungary and died in his yacht in South Carolina on October 29, 1911. He was a man of many journalistic accomplishments. Throughout Joseph's life, he battled with his health; however, this could have been a direct result of his intense work schedule. Mr. Pulitzer was driven to be successful, a workaholic, and had a passion for accuracy and brevity. In all aspects of his life, it is easy to concluded that Mr. Pulitzer had a need to be in control.
Throughout Joseph Pulitzer's life we was the managing editor of the Westliche Post (1871), purchased the St. Louis Dispatch (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1878), purchased the New York World, raised money for the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (1885), and served four months in the U.S. House of Representatives (1885). In 1985, Mr. Pulitzer and his New York World (A.K.A. World) newspaper were engaged in a "newspaper" war with William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal (formally owned by Albert Pulitzer, Joseph's brother). It was well documented that the New York World would put the news out in the morning and then the New York Journal would simply reprint the articles in their evening paper. This infuriated Joseph Pulitzer.
The Pulitzer prize(s) were inspired by Alfred Nobel's annual recognition prizes in the areas of science and medicine. However, Pulitzer specified nine prizes that focused around journalism and the arts (i.e. four in journalism, three in literature, and one in drama). According to Joseph's written requests, the awards were to be given to people who live in the United States and the awards ceremony was to be low key. To this day, any American who has had a piece published in a major media venue (i.e. newspaper, magazine, etc...) can submit their entry in one or two Pulitzer prize categories. If someone is interested they can obtain more detailed information and criteria from their website - http://www.pulitzer.org/.
For some time now, I was interested in the origin of both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. I aware of both of these prizes but on a superficial level. The Nobel Prize typically has some TV coverage as well as written coverage while the Pulitzer Prize tends to be in the back ground. In comparing the two men, Alfred Nobel and Joseph Pulitzer, I'd have to say that these awards or prizes reflect who they were at the core. Alfred Nobel did not want the world to remember him nor see him as "the man of destruction" but rather as a man who sought out ways to bring peace and value to the human collective. Joseph Pulitzer strove to uncover the injustices and wanted to make things right. He punished those who did wrong (i.e. uncovered their acts and exposed them in the paper, fined or let go journalists who were not accurate with their information, etc...), yet awarded those who strove toward excellence.
Although both of these men made a positive mark within the human collective, I noticed a few similarities that alarmed me. First, both men well of financially when they died; however, they both died alone. Both men were workaholics at the expense of their overall health. Lastly, both men were so driven and obsessed with their passion (their work, their purpose) that it had a negative impact on their family life. Sometimes success from the world's perspective isn't always success on a personal level. Food for thought.
Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847, in Hungary and died in his yacht in South Carolina on October 29, 1911. He was a man of many journalistic accomplishments. Throughout Joseph's life, he battled with his health; however, this could have been a direct result of his intense work schedule. Mr. Pulitzer was driven to be successful, a workaholic, and had a passion for accuracy and brevity. In all aspects of his life, it is easy to concluded that Mr. Pulitzer had a need to be in control.
Throughout Joseph Pulitzer's life we was the managing editor of the Westliche Post (1871), purchased the St. Louis Dispatch (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1878), purchased the New York World, raised money for the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (1885), and served four months in the U.S. House of Representatives (1885). In 1985, Mr. Pulitzer and his New York World (A.K.A. World) newspaper were engaged in a "newspaper" war with William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal (formally owned by Albert Pulitzer, Joseph's brother). It was well documented that the New York World would put the news out in the morning and then the New York Journal would simply reprint the articles in their evening paper. This infuriated Joseph Pulitzer.
The Pulitzer prize(s) were inspired by Alfred Nobel's annual recognition prizes in the areas of science and medicine. However, Pulitzer specified nine prizes that focused around journalism and the arts (i.e. four in journalism, three in literature, and one in drama). According to Joseph's written requests, the awards were to be given to people who live in the United States and the awards ceremony was to be low key. To this day, any American who has had a piece published in a major media venue (i.e. newspaper, magazine, etc...) can submit their entry in one or two Pulitzer prize categories. If someone is interested they can obtain more detailed information and criteria from their website - http://www.pulitzer.org/.
For some time now, I was interested in the origin of both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. I aware of both of these prizes but on a superficial level. The Nobel Prize typically has some TV coverage as well as written coverage while the Pulitzer Prize tends to be in the back ground. In comparing the two men, Alfred Nobel and Joseph Pulitzer, I'd have to say that these awards or prizes reflect who they were at the core. Alfred Nobel did not want the world to remember him nor see him as "the man of destruction" but rather as a man who sought out ways to bring peace and value to the human collective. Joseph Pulitzer strove to uncover the injustices and wanted to make things right. He punished those who did wrong (i.e. uncovered their acts and exposed them in the paper, fined or let go journalists who were not accurate with their information, etc...), yet awarded those who strove toward excellence.
Although both of these men made a positive mark within the human collective, I noticed a few similarities that alarmed me. First, both men well of financially when they died; however, they both died alone. Both men were workaholics at the expense of their overall health. Lastly, both men were so driven and obsessed with their passion (their work, their purpose) that it had a negative impact on their family life. Sometimes success from the world's perspective isn't always success on a personal level. Food for thought.
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