Apr 16, 2007 8:01 pm US/Eastern
Miami Herald Wins Pulitzer For House Of Lies
by Natalia Zea
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
It's a proud day in the newsroom of our news partners at the Miami Herald, after their exclusive investigation on mismanagement in the Miami-Dade public housing agency won a Pulitzer Prize.
Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald won a Pulitzer Prize Monday for local reporting for a series that revealed waste, favoritism and lack of oversight at the Miami housing agency, all while residents await the public housing they were promised.
You might also be familiar with the story by watching the
CBS4 House Of Lies series, which was based on the Herald's original story.
Herald Executive Editor, Anders Gyllenhaal, said the piece reflects what journalism is all about -- uncovering community events and shaping the outcome. As he put it: "This is a magnificent work that changed the course of events and I think stood up for people who were not able to stand up for themselves."
The 2006 House of Lies series showed developers took millions of dollars in taxpayer money to build affordable housing for the poor, but failed to deliver, leaving thousands without their homes.
Cenziper led a reporting team that produced more than 30 articles in the series, which led to major changes in the county housing agency and the arrest of three developers.
Gyllenhaal said they will continue to work on elements of the story this year.
Other Herald staff members involved in the project included Larry Lebowitz, Susannah A. Nesmith, Tim Henderson, Monika Z. Leal, Chuck Fadely and Shawn Greene. The series was edited by investigations editor Michael Sallah.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
