Yesterday, the Boston Globe’s Sebastian Smee won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, cited for his “vivid and exuberant writing about art’’ and for “often bringing great works to life with love and appreciation.” Here is the Globe’s take on the news:
Globe art critic Smee wins Pulitzer
And here is Poynter’s take (see the 10th bullet point from the top):
Four-year-old’s birthday present: Dad wins a Pulitzer
I don’t have a Pulitzer. I do have a four-year-old. And I am confident that a “four-year-old’s birthday present” is not “Dad wins a Pulitzer.” Unless by that one means that $10.99 of the $10,000 prize money is going toward the immediate purchase of a My Little Pony Super Long Hair Rainbow Dash or a 16-pack of Squinkies. Because vicarious gifting for a preschooler? Not nice. (Also, not developmentally appropriate).
Surely the Pulitzer-winning father in question knows as much. Indeed, at the end of Smee’s newsroom speech yesterday (video below), clearly aware of the possibility of personally overshadowing his child’s big day, Smee says, “Maybe we could sing happy birthday to Leila.” (Which, even if Marty Baron sings, is also not a present.)
Another one, perhaps, for the Let’s Not Overstate the Importance of the Pulitzers file?
Not only do I think Smee's Pulitzer should overshadow his daughter's birthday this year, I hope that on April 18 of every year, the family should stop celebrating her birthday and start celebrating the anniversary of Daddy's Pulitzer. (I also have a daughter -- an adorable one -- and if we had taken our family planning a bit more seriously, she would've been born on Pulitzer Day, forever marginalizing her to journalism's collective pat on the back.)
I wish you also had pointed out that someone can't just pick an arbitrary number of "at bats" in order to construct a "batting average" for the Pulitzers, as I did with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
I'm just pointing out some interesting threads, take them or leave them.
#1 Posted by Steve Myers, CJR on Tue 19 Apr 2011 at 04:46 PM