Tampa Bay Times

Tampa Bay Times

The January 1, 2012 front page
of the first edition of the Tampa Bay Times.
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner Times Publishing Company
Editor Paul Tash
Founded 1884
Headquarters 490 First Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
 United States
Circulation 240,024 daily
403,229 (2011)[1]
OCLC number 5920090
Official website tampabay.com

The Tampa Bay Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Times has won eight Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single year for the first time in the paper's history.[2]

It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a nonprofit journalism school directly adjacent to the University of South Florida campus in St. Petersburg. Many issues are available through Google News Archive.[3] A daily electronic version is also available for the Amazon Kindle.

Contents

History

The Times traces its origins to the West Hillsborough Times, a weekly newspaper started in Dunedin, Florida (which, at the time, was still part of Hillsborough County, before Pinellas County was established) in 1884. By 1912, the paper had been sold six times, had been relocated to St. Petersburg (becoming the St. Petersburg Times), and was published six days a week. Publisher Paul Poynter bought the paper in September 1912 and published it seven days a week. Paul's son Nelson Poynter took majority control of the paper in 1947. Nelson Poynter died in 1978, having willed the paper to the Poynter Institute.[4] In November 1986, the Evening Independent was merged into the Times.

In 2003, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the St. Petersburg Times as a "usually liberal" newspaper.[5]

On January 1, 2012 the St. Petersburg Times was renamed the Tampa Bay Times; this stemmed from a 2006 decision of a lawsuit with Media General, the publishers of The Tampa Tribune, which allowed that paper to keep its exclusive right to use the name of its defunct sister paper, The Tampa Times, for five years after the decision. Free weekday tabloid tbt*, which used ("* Tampa Bay Times)" as its subtitle, will become just tbt when the name change takes place.[6]

The Times has also been a longtime opponent to the Church of Scientology, since the church's acquisition of the Fort Harrison Hotel in 1975. The Times has published special reports and series critical of the church and its current leader, David Miscavige.[7]

In 2010 the Times published an investigative report questioning the validity of the United States Navy Veterans Association, leading to significant reaction and official investigations into the group nationwide.[8]

PolitiFact.com

The newspaper operates PolitiFact.com, a project in which its reporters and editors "fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups...."[9] They publish original statements and their evaluations on the PolitiFact.com website, and assign each a "Truth-O-Meter" rating. The site also includes an "Obameter", tracking U.S. President Barack Obama's performance with regard to his campaign promises.

PolitiFact.com was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2009 for "its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaign that used probing reporters and the power of the World Wide Web to examine more than 750 political claims, separating rhetoric from truth to enlighten voters."[10]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Work Recipients Category Result
2010 National Headliner Awards "Inside Scientology" Thomas C. Tobin and Joe Childs Investigative reporting Finalist[11][12]
Florida Society of News Editors Gold Medal for Public Service Won[13][14]
Pulitzer Prize "For Their Own Good" Ben Montgomery, Waveney Ann Moore, and photographer Edmund D. Fountain Local Reporting Finalist[15]
2009 Pulitzer Prize PolitiFact.com Times staff, represented by Bill Adair, Washington bureau chief National Reporting Won[2][16]
Public Service Finalist[17]
"The Girl in the Window" Lane DeGregory Feature Writing Won[2][18]
"Winter's Tale" John Barry Feature Writing Finalist[17]
2007 Scripps Howard Foundation Human Interest Writing Lane DeGregory Ernie Pyle Award Won[19]
"A Republican vs. Republican Cellular Division" Wes Allison Raymond Clapper Award Won[19]
Pulitzer Prize "In His Own Defense" Christopher Goffard Feature Writing Finalist[20]
2003 Scripps Howard Foundation Human Interest Writing Kelley Benham Ernie Pyle Award Won[4][21]
2002 Scripps Howard Foundation "The Poison in Your Back Yard" Julie Hauserman Edward J. Meeman Award Won[22]
2000 Pulitzer Prize "Una Vida Mejor" Anne Hull Feature Writing Finalist[23]
National Reporting Finalist[23]
1999 Sigma Delta Chi "Deadly Rampage" Times staff Excellence in deadline reporting Won[24]
Investigative report of U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown Bill Adair and David Dahl Washington correspondence Won[24][4]
1998 Pulitzer Prize "Angels & Demons" Thomas French Feature Writing Won[2][25]
Investigative report of The Rev. Henry Lyons Times staff Investigative Reporting Finalist[26]
The "Tobacco" series David Barstow Explanatory Reporting Finalist[26]
1997 Pulitzer Prize Coverage of the 1996 St. Petersburg riot Times staff Spot News Reporting Finalist[27]
1995 Pulitzer Prize "Final Indignities" Jeffrey Good Editorial Writing Won[2][28]
"A Secret Life" Anne Hull Feature Writing Finalist[29]
1992 Pulitzer Prize "Life From Death" Sheryl James Feature Writing Finalist[30]
1991 Pulitzer Prize "A Gift Abandoned" Sheryl James Feature Writing Won[2][31]
1985 Pulitzer Prize Corruption in Pasco County Sheriff's Office Lucy Morgan and Jack Reed Investigative Reporting Won[2][32]
1982 Pulitzer Prize Coverage of drug smuggling in Dixie County, Florida Lucy Morgan Local General or Spot News Reporting Finalist[33]
1980 Pulitzer Prize Investigation of Church of Scientology operations in Florida Bette Swenson Orsini and Charles Stafford National Reporting Won[2][34]
Times staff Public Service Finalist[35]
1964 Pulitzer Prize Investigation of Florida Turnpike Authority Martin Waldron and Times staff[36] Meritorious Public Service Won[2][37]

Notes

  1. ^ "eCirc for Newspapers". Audit Bureau of Circulations. September 30, 2011. http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/newstitlesearchus.asp. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nohlgren, Stephen (April 20, 2009). "St. Petersburg Times wins two Pulitzer Prizes". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/features/media/article993724.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  3. ^ Shankland, Stephen (September 8, 2008). "Google raising newspaper morgues from the dead". CNET News (CBS Interactive Inc.). http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10035172-93.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
  4. ^ a b c St. Petersburg Times staff (2007). "St. Petersburg Times History - From 1884 to present". St. Petersburg Times website (www.sptimes.com). http://www.sptimes.com/connect/corporate/history/. Retrieved 2009-11-12. 
  5. ^ "Fla. woman's feeding tubes are back as debate continues". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 23, 2003. 
  6. ^ St. Petersburg Times: "The St. Petersburg Times will become the Tampa Bay Times on Jan. 1", November 1, 2011.
  7. ^ Joe Childs, Thomas C. Tobin (June 23, 2009). "The Truth Run Down". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1012148.ece. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
  8. ^ Casey; Sluss (16 May 2010). "Fla. contributor to Va. campaigns raises questions". The Roanoke Times. http://www.roanoke.com/247014. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
  9. ^ "PolitiFact.com". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.politifact.com. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 
  10. ^ http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-National-Reporting
  11. ^ "Winners of 76th Annual National Headliner Awards". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). March 24, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/24/us/AP-US-Headliner-Awards-List.html?ref=news. Retrieved 2010-03-25. 
  12. ^ "Print Division - Daily Newspapers and News Syndicates - Writing & Reporting". National Headliner Awards (www.nationalheadlinerawards.com). http://www.nationalheadlinerawards.com/Winners2010Print.html. Retrieved 2010-03-25. 
  13. ^ Sentinel Staff Report (June 18, 2010). "Orlando Sentinel wins 17 awards from Florida Society of News Editors". Orlando Sentinel (Florida: www.orlandosentinel.com). http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-sentinel-fsne-awards-20100618,0,3887288.story. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  14. ^ Florida Society of News Editors (June 18, 2010). "FSNE Gold Medal for Public Service". FSNE 2010 Journalism Awards (Florida: fsne.org). http://fsne.org/2010awards/. Retrieved 2010-06-18. "Inside Scientology - The St. Petersburg Times reporting on the Church of Scientology is in the finest traditions of American journalism. The reporting by Joseph Childs and Thomas Tobin stands out for the ways in which it held accountable the powerful." 
  15. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 2010". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/2010. Retrieved 2010-04-12. 
  16. ^ McElroy, Jack (April 26, 2009). "Paperless project claims a Pulitzer". Knoxville News Sentinel: p. 60. 
  17. ^ a b "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 2009". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/2009. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  18. ^ Young, Charles William (April 23, 2009). "St. Petersburg Times earns two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism". Congressional Record (United States Congress): p. E950-E951. 
  19. ^ a b The Kentucky Post staff (March 10, 2007). "Scripps winners named". The Kentucky Post: p. A5. 
  20. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 2007". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/2007. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  21. ^ St. Petersburg Times staff (March 13, 2004). "Times writer's stories earn her 2003 Ernie Pyle Award". St. Petersburg Times: p. 3B. 
  22. ^ St. Petersburg Times staff (March 2, 2002). "Two Times reporters earn national awards". St. Petersburg Times: p. 3B. 
  23. ^ a b "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 2000". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/2000. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  24. ^ a b St. Petersburg Times staff (April 18, 1999). "Times earns national reporting awards". St. Petersburg Times: p. 3B. 
  25. ^ Leisner, Pat (Associated Press) (April 16, 1998). "Indianapolis native wins Pulitzer Prize". Post-Tribune: p. B5. 
  26. ^ a b "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1998". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1998. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  27. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1997". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1997. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  28. ^ Associated Press (April 19, 1995). "Prizes honor wide range of stories; Winners of the 1995 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism included stories of natural disaster, human tragedy and courage.". Portland Press Herald: p. 7A. 
  29. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1995". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1995. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  30. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1992". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1992. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  31. ^ Associated Press (April 10, 1991). "Barberton native wins a Pulitzer". Akron Beacon Journal: p. A1. 
  32. ^ Marx, Gary (April 25, 1985). "Pulitzer winners: UCF student, St. Pete Times". The Orlando Sentinel (Sentinel Communications Co.): p. A1. 
  33. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1982". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1982. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  34. ^ The Boston Globe staff (April 16, 1980). "Pulitzer Prize board, for first time, names finalists in all categories". The Boston Globe (Globe Newspaper Company). 
  35. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes - Finalists 1980". Columbia University. http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/1980. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  36. ^ Staff. "MARTIN O. WALDRON IS DEAD AT 56; REPORTING LED TO A PULITZER PRIZE", The New York Times, May 28, 1981. Accessed July 13, 2010.
  37. ^ Garloch, Karen (April 1, 1988). "Observer wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of PTL, Bakkers". The Charlotte Observer: p. 1A. 

External links

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