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What is the wildest dream of a journalist? Without a doubt it will be “Pulitzer Prize“. Web 2.0 has been successful and getting enough jealous eye from mainstream journalists, but still was not considered as viable news generation. But looks like web 2.0 will be no more left over in journalism, as the Pulitzer Prize Board has established new rules allowing  to submit a full array of online material such as databases, interactive graphics, and streaming video for its journalism awards.  Quoting from Pulitzer journalism prize categories-

…For distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction, in print or in print and online.

That is just one, all the 14 categories of journalism award has been modified, where online journalist will have equal share of opportunities like print journalists. A variety of Web 2.0 elements (Crtics, writing, editorials etc.) will now be permitted in all awards except for the competition’s two photography categories, which will continue to restrict entries to still images.

I was proud, when Sig Gissler the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes said-

This board believes that its much fuller embrace of online journalism reflects the direction of newspapers in a rapidly changing media world

I think every web 2.0 citizen should be proud by this. It is a big milestone for the online journalism as well as authoring. The new submission criteria states that each online element has to be a single, discretely designated presentation - such as a database, blog, interactive graphic, slide show, or video presentation. The bad part is ”breaking news reporting” and “breaking news photography” categories of the awards will remain open to material published entirely on a newspaper’s website. But anyway sooner or later that will also come to web 2.0. At least now web journalist can compete head to head. Don’t you think its improving?

All these changes will effective to work done in 2006 for prizes awarded in 2007.

Pulitzer, Journalism prize, web journalism, Pulitzer for web