# Could the National Enquirer Win a Pulitzer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 22, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015 "2010-01-22T18:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/1 "2010-01-22T18:03:45Z")
You decide. > **[John Edwards's paternity admission vindicates National Enquirer, its editor says](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012102670_pf.html)** > > The executive editor of the National Enquirer says he plans to enter his paper's work on the John Edwards scandal for a Pulitzer Prize. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/2 "2010-01-22T20:00:04Z")
If they did, would that mean they’d be considered mainstream _serious_ journalism? \< shudder \> ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/3 "2010-01-22T20:11:06Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > If they did, would that mean they’d be considered mainstream _serious_ journalism? \< shudder \> They’ve been moving in that direction in recent years. And they did indeed beat everybody on the Edwards story. [Here are the Pulitzer categories.](http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/2009) Does that justify a Pulitzer in, say, [public service](http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-Public-Service), [breaking news reporting](http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-Breaking-News-Reporting), or [investigative reporting](http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-Public-Service)? I’m leaning toward no, but in the breaking news category maybe it deserves consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/4 "2010-01-22T20:14:34Z")
Since the Edwards story involved nothing more than peeping in on the sex life of a private citizen, I see no probability of an award here. There are many subscription websites online which provide the same service that the National Enquirer did, and with better content too. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/5 "2010-01-22T21:00:45Z")
Can and Will are two very different propositions. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/6 "2010-01-22T21:49:47Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Can and Will are two very different propositions. And “can”, “will”, and “should” make three of them 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/7 "2010-01-22T22:42:45Z")
I think it would be great if they won! They broke a major story, and in my opinion that’s the kind of reporting that deserves it. However, it seems like they are ineligible. They are considered a magazine and not a newspaper, plus they broke the story in 2007 and 2008, so they can’t get one this year. Too bad. I’d love to see the snotty newspapers shown up by the N.E.! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/8 "2010-01-22T22:47:07Z")
Can the win a Pulitzer? Absolutely. They just need a category called “most absorbent cat box liner”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/9 "2010-01-22T22:49:02Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > However, it seems like they are ineligible. They are considered a magazine and not a newspaper, plus they broke the story in 2007 and 2008, so they can’t get one this year. _That_ settles it, I think. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/10 "2010-01-22T23:02:12Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Since the Edwards story involved nothing more than peeping in on the sex life of a private citizen, I see no probability of an award here. Private citizens who are running for president are generally considered more newsworthy, though. Also, the possible abandonment of a child does not fall within what I would consider one’s sex life, but I suppose others may disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/11 "2010-01-22T23:10:54Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/12 "2010-01-23T00:26:37Z")
Isn’t there a Pulitzer prize for fiction? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/13 "2010-01-23T04:30:57Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Private citizens who are running for president are generally considered more newsworthy, though. Also, the possible abandonment of a child does not fall within what I would consider one’s sex life, but I suppose others may disagree. Edwards was not a candidate for anything when the Enquirer broke the story. I’m not aware of any child abandonment. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/14 "2010-01-23T04:44:41Z")
A federal grand jury is investigating whether any Edwards campaign funds were misspent on covering up the affair. I’d say it’s a big story. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-national-enquirer-win-a-pulitzer/526015/15 "2010-01-23T04:59:14Z")
That wasn’t the story, though. The story was ZOMG, John Edwards is boning that chick ::fap fap fap::