Las Vegas Sun wins Pulitzer for construction death coverage

Friday, 01 May 2009

The Las Vegas Sun, and reporter Alexandra Berzon in particular, won this year's Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism for its coverage of the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip.

Ms. Berzon did yeoman's work to earn her Pulitzer.  After nine workers lost their lives over a 16-month period, she wrote more than 50 articles exposing the state's lax enforcement of safety regulations. Her series forced officials to address the problem and no construction workers have died on the Strip since last June.

It takes strong laws to protect people's rights and their safety, and it can take extraordinary effort to get strong laws passed and enforced. In New York, even the best personal injury attorney would be powerless to help people without some good laws in place. Everyone who enjoys the protections our society offers is indebted to the activists, reporters and unions that worked to make them a reality.

Congratulations to Ms. Berzon and the Las Vegas Sun on their Pulitzer. It is a major achievement, earned in the best way possible.