BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Alabama columnist John Archibald on Monday won a Pulitzer Prize, and so did The Washington Post for its stories uncovering misconduct allegations against Republican Roy Moore during Alabama’s U.S. Senate campaign last year.
Archibald of the Alabama Media Group was awarded journalism’s highest honor for commentary. The citation recognizes Archibald for “lyrical and courageous commentary that is rooted in Alabama but has a national resonance in scrutinizing corrupt politicians, championing the rights of women and calling out hypocrisy.”
The Post won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting for its stories revealing allegations that Moore pursued teenage girls sexually decades ago while he was in his 30s in Gadsden. The stories upended a race that ended with Doug Jones being the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alabama in decades.
Archibald won for a selection of columns that often urged Alabama to rise above its divisive past and lambasted government corruption and a Jim Crow-era state constitution that favored the state’s powerful over the powerless. The columns delved into subjects that included the accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, the resignation of Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in a sex-tinged scandal and a new state law banning the removal of Confederate monuments.
Archibald, an Alabama native and a graduate of the University of Alabama, began writing a column for The Birmingham News in 2004.
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