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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The November 2, 2018 front page
of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette
TypeDaily online/semiweekly printnewspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Block Communications
PublisherJohn Robinson Block
PresidentTracey DeAngelo
EditorStan Wischnowski
Founded1786;238 years ago(1786)(asThe Pittsburgh Gazette)
Headquarters358 North Shore Drive
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania15212
CountryUnited States
Circulation74,444 daily (101,747 Sunday)
ISSN1068-624X
Websitepost-gazette

ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette,also known simply as thePG,is the largest newspaper servingmetropolitanPittsburghin the U.S. state ofPennsylvania.Descended from thePittsburgh Gazette,established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of theAllegheny Mountains,the paper formed under its present title in 1927 from the consolidation of thePittsburgh Gazette TimesandThe Pittsburgh Post.

ThePost-Gazetteended daily print publication in 2018 and has cut down to two print editions per week (Sunday and Thursday), goingonline-onlythe rest of the week.

In the 2010s, the editorial tone of the paper shifted fromliberaltoconservative,particularly after the editorial pages of the paper were consolidated in 2018 withThe BladeofToledo, Ohio.After the consolidation, Keith Burris, the pro-Trumpeditorial page editor ofThe Blade,directed the editorial pages of both papers.[1][2]

Copies are sold for $4 daily (Thursdays) and $6 Sundays/Thanksgiving Day in-state. This includesAlleghenyand adjacent counties. Prices are higher outside the state.

PG staff have been on strike since October 2022.

History

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Gazette

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ThePittsburgh Post-GazetteBuilding inDowntown Pittsburgh,which housed the paper from 1962 to 2015
A timeline of the newspapers' consolidation

ThePost-Gazettebegan its history as a four-page weekly calledThe Pittsburgh Gazette,first published on July 29, 1786, with the encouragement ofHugh Henry Brackenridge.[3][4]It was the first newspaper published west of theAllegheny Mountains.[3]Published by Joseph Hall and John Scull, the paper covered the start of the nation. As one of its first major articles, theGazettepublished the newly adoptedConstitution of the United States.[5]

In 1820, under publishers Eichbaum and Johnston and editor Morgan Neville, the name changed toPittsburgh Gazette and Manufacturing and Mercantile Advertiser.[6]David MacLean bought the paper in 1822, and later reverted to the former title.[7]

Under editorNeville B. Craig,whose service lasted from 1829 to 1841, theGazettechampioned theAnti-Masonicmovement. Craig turned theGazetteinto the city's first daily paper, issued every afternoon except Sunday starting on July 30, 1833.[8]

In 1844, shortly after absorbing theAdvocate,theGazetteswitched its daily issue time to morning.[9]Its editorial stance at the time was conservative and strongly favoring theWhig Party.[10]By the 1850s the Gazette was credited with helping to organize a local chapter of the newRepublican Party,and with contributing to the election ofAbraham Lincoln.

The paper was one of the first to suggest tensions between North and South would erupt in war.[11]

After consolidating with theCommercialin 1877, the paper was again renamed and was then known as theCommercial Gazette.[12]

In 1900,George T. Oliveracquired the paper, merging it six years later withThe Pittsburg Timesto formThe Gazette Times.[13]

Post

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The PittsburghPostfirst appeared on September 10, 1842, as theDaily Morning Post.[14]It had its origin in three pro-Democraticweeklies, theMercury,Allegheny Democrat,andAmerican Manufacturer,which came together through a pair of mergers in the early 1840s.[15]The three papers had for years engaged in bitter editorial battles with theGazette.[16]

Like its predecessors, thePostadvocated the policies of the Democratic Party. Its political opposition to theWhigand laterRepublicanGazettewas so enduring that an eventual combination of the two rivals would have seemed unlikely.[17]

Block-Hearst deal

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The 1920s were a time of consolidation in thePittsburghnewspaper market. In 1923, local publishers banded together to acquire and kill off theDispatchandLeader.Four years later,William Randolph Hearstnegotiated with the Olivers to purchase the morningGazette Timesand its evening sister, theChronicle Telegraph,whilePaul Blockarranged to buy out the owner of the morningPostand eveningSun.After swapping theSunin return for Hearst'sGazette Times,Block had both morning papers, which he combined to form thePost-Gazette.Hearst united the evening papers, creating theSun-Telegraph.Both new papers debuted on August 2, 1927.[18]

Joint operating agreement

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In 1960, Pittsburgh had three daily papers: thePost-Gazettein the morning, and thePittsburgh Pressand thePittsburgh Sun-Telegraphin the evening and on Sunday. ThePost-Gazettebought theSun-Telegraphand moved into theSun-Telegraph's Grant Street offices.[19]

ThePost-Gazettetried to publish a Sunday paper to compete with theSunday Pressbut it was not profitable; rising costs in general were challenging the company's bottom line.[20]In November 1961, thePost-Gazetteentered into an agreement with the Pittsburgh Press Company to combine their production and advertising sales operations.[21]ThePost-Gazetteowned and operated its own news and editorial departments, but production and distribution of the paper was handled by the larger Press office.[21]This agreement stayed in place for over 30 years.[22]

The agreement gave thePost-Gazettea new home in thePressbuilding, a comfortable upgrade from the hated "Sun-Telly barn".[23]Constructed for thePressin 1927 and expanded with a curtain wall in 1962, the building served as thePost-Gazetteheadquarters until 2015.[24]

Strike, consolidation, new competition

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The distribution center of thePittsburgh Post-Gazettein theFindlay Township

On May 17, 1992, astrikeby workers for thePressshut down publication of thePress;the joint operating agreement meant that thePost-Gazettealso ceased to publish.[25]During the strike, theScripps Howardcompany sold thePressto the Block family, owners of thePost-Gazette.[22]The Blocks did not resume printing thePress,and when the labor issue was resolved and publishing resumed, thePost-Gazettebecame the city's major paper, under the full masthead namePittsburgh Post-Gazette Sun-Telegraph/The Pittsburgh Press.The Block ownership did not take this opportunity to address labor costs, which had led to sale of thePress.This would come back to haunt them and lead to financial problems (see "Financial Challenges" below).

During the strike, publisherRichard Mellon Scaifeexpanded his paper, theGreensburgTribune-Review,based in thecounty seatof adjoiningWestmoreland County,where it had published for years. While maintaining the original paper in its facilities in Greensburg, he expanded it with a new Pittsburgh edition to serve the city and its suburbs. Scaife named this paper thePittsburgh Tribune-Review.[26]Scaife has invested significant amounts of capital into upgraded facilities, separate offices and newsroom on Pittsburgh's North Side and a state of the art production facility inMarshall Townshipnorth of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. Relations between thePost-GazetteandTribune-Review,during its existence as a local print publication, were often competitive and frequently hostile, given Scaife's longstanding distaste for what he considered the Blocks' liberalism.

On 14 November 2011 thePost-Gazetterevived thePittsburgh Pressas an afternoononline newspaper.[27]On 12 February 2014, the paper purchased a new distribution facility in suburbanFindlay Township, Pennsylvania.[28]In 2015 the paper moved into a new, state-of-the-art office building on theNorth Shoreon a portion of the former site ofThree Rivers Stadium,ending 53 years in the formerPressbuilding and more than two centuries in Downtown.[29]Block Communications sold the Downtown Post-Gazette building in 2019 to DiCicco Development, Inc., a developer headquartered inMoon Township,for $13.25 million.[30][31]As of late 2022, DiCicco Development is still deciding what type of use might work best on the property.

On 6 October 2022 the advertising, distribution and production workers at the Post Gazette went on strike. On October 18, the newsroom workers joined the strike.[32]TheNational Labor Relations Board (NLRB)also pursued a case against the paper charging unfair practices. As of March 2023 the strike had not been settled and the NLRB case was pending before an administrative law judge.[33]As of January 2024, the unions were still on strike against the Post-Gazette.[34][35]In April 2024 the National Labor Relations Board announced it was authorizing a request from the newspaper's unions to seek a temporary injunction against the Post-Gazette's ownership for violating workers' labor rights.[36]

Partnerships and sponsorships

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ThePost-Gazettebuilding in October 2015.

The newspaper sponsored a 23,000 seatoutdoor amphitheaterinBurgettstown, Pennsylvania,the "Post-Gazette Pavilion", although it is still often referred to as "Star Lake", based on the original name, "Star Lake Amphitheater", and later "Coca-ColaStar Lake Amphitheater "under the former sponsor. They gave upnaming rightsin 2010.[37]First Niagara Bank,which had entered the Pittsburgh market the year before afteracquiringNational Citybranches from Pittsburgh-basedPNC Financial Services,[38]took over the naming rights to the facility and is now known as theKeyBank Pavilion.[37]

The newspaper once had ventures in television. In 1957, the Post-Gazette partnered with the H. Kenneth Brennen family, local radio owners, to launch WIIC-TV (nowWPXI) as the area's first full-timeNBCaffiliate.[39][40]ThePost-Gazetteand the Brennens sold off the station to current ownerCox Enterprisesin 1964.[41]Although thePost-Gazetteand WPXI have on occasion had some news partnerships, the Post-Gazette's primary news partner is now the localCBSowned-and-operatedstationKDKA-TV.

In 2019, thePittsburgh Post-Gazettewas a founding member ofSpotlight PA,aninvestigative reportingpartnership focused on Pennsylvania.[42]

Financial challenges

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When John Craig handed editorial reign toDavid Shribmanin 2003, Craig told Shribman that the paper was in terrible financial shape. It was around the time ofHanukkah,and Shribman quipped, "It seemed there was only enough oil in this newspaper to keep the light on for one year."[43]In September 2006 the paper disclosed that it was experiencing financial challenges, largely related to its labor costs. The paper also disclosed it had not been profitable since printing had resumed in 1993. As a result of these issues, the paper considered a number of options, including putting the paper up for sale.[44]In August 2018 thePost-Gazetteceased publishing daily.[45]It cut down to online editions on Tuesdays and Saturdays and print editions the remaining days of the week. In October 2019, the paper further reduced its paper editions to Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.[46]In March 2021, the paper cut down again, getting rid of the Friday edition.[47]

Controversies

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Firing of cartoonist

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In June 2018, thePost Gazettefired its long-time editorial cartoonist,Rob Rogers,a previousPulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooningfinalist who had worked at the paper for 25 years,[48][49][50]having joined the paper in 1993[51]and worked under foursupervising editors.[50]The firing came in the context of increasing support for PresidentDonald Trumpand political conservatism on thePost-Gazetteeditorial page.[48]Pittsburgh mayorWilliam Peduto(who was both a friend of Rogers' and had been lampooned in his cartoons) called the paper's firing of Rogers "disappointing" and said it sent "the wrong message about press freedoms."[52][50]The firing was strongly criticized by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh[48]and theNational Cartoonists Society.[50]The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists said in a statement: "It's as simple as this: Rogers was fired for refusing to do cartoons extolling Trump. Let that sink in."[49]The paper said that Rogers' dismissal "has little to do with politics, ideology or Donald Trump" but did not provide details.[50]Rogers wrote in theNew York Timesthat the paper's new management had decided, in the lead-up to his firing, that his cartoons satirizing Trump "were 'too angry.'"[51]Rogers said that while editors had previously rejected (or "spiked") an average of two to three of his cartoons each year, under a new supervisor he had 19 cartoons or cartoon ideas killed in the first six months of 2018.[50]

Four months after Rogers was fired, thePost-Gazettehired conservative editorial cartoonistSteve Kelleyas Rogers' replacement.[53]After being fired, Rogers' comics continued to be published throughAndrews McMeel Syndication.[50]As a freelancer, Rogers was named as a finalist for the2019 Pulitzer Prizein editorial cartooning, with the committee citing his "provocative illustrations that channeled cultural and historical references with expert artistry and an eye for hypocrisy and injustice."[54]

Sanctioning of reporter amid George Floyd protests

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In 2020, thePost-Gazetteprohibited its reporter Alexis Johnson from covering theGeorge Floyd protests.[55]ThePost-Gazettesaid that Johnson, anAfrican American,had shown bias by making a tweet that highlighted extensive littering from aKenny Chesneyconcert tailgate. The pulling of Johnson from the story prompted an outcry from journalists, including the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and many of Johnson'sPost-Gazettecolleagues.[55]

Awards

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Pulitzer Prizes

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ThePost-GazettewonPulitzer Prizesin1938,1998,and2019.Photographer Morris Berman maintained that the paper would have also won a Pulitzer in1964,had it chosen to run the iconic photo ofY. A. Tittlethat he took atPitt Stadium,[56]which would go on to win awards, hang in thePro Football Hall of Fame,and be used for the back cover of Tittle's autobiography and in aMiller BeerHigh-Life commercial in 2005.

In 1938,Ray Spriglewon thePulitzer Prize for Reportingfor his investigation revealing that newly appointed Supreme Court JusticeHugo Blackhad been a member of theKu Klux Klan.

Staff photographerMartha Rialwon the 1998Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photographyfor her photographs ofRwandanandBurundianrefugees.

PhotographerJohn Kaplanwon the1992Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photographyfor a series of photo essays on 21-year-olds, which was published in thePost-Gazetteand two other papers of the Block Newspapers group.[57]This award cited Block Newspapers rather than thePost-Gazettespecifically.[58]

ThePost-Gazettewon the 2019Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reportingfor its coverage of thePittsburgh synagogue shooting.The paper was praised for its "immersive, compassionate coverage."[59]

Other awards

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In 1997, Bill Moushey won theNational Press Club’s Freedom of Information Award on a series investigating the Federal Witness Protection Program and was a finalist for the Pulitzer.[60][61]

ThePost-Gazettealso won theWilbur Awardfrom theReligion Communicators Council(RCC) in 2017 for religion editor Peter Smith's work,Silent Sanctuaries.[62]Smith, Stephanie Strasburg, and Shelly Bradbury were finalists for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for an investigation into sexual abuse in Pennsylvania's Amish and Mennonite communities.[63]

Michael Sallah,Michael Korsh and Evan Robinson-Johnson of thePost-Gazette,withProPublica,won the 2023George Polk Awardfor medical reporting for a series on Philips Respironics' efforts to continue marketing their breathing machines despite knowing they were dangerous to users.[64]

Endorsement

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ThePost-Gazettehistorically sided withmodern liberalismin its editorial stance. However, it turned moreconservativein the 2010s, especially following the 2018 consolidation of its editorial department with that of longtime sister newspaperThe BladeofToledo, Ohio,and the appointment ofThe Blade'seditorial page editor, Keith Burris, a frequent defender ofDonald Trump,as thePost-Gazette'seditorial page editor.[2]Burris assumed the additional position of executive editor of thePost-Gazettein 2019.[65]In 2020, thePost-Gazetteendorsed Trump's reelection bid, the first time since the1972 US presidential electionthat the paper had endorsed a Republican for president.[66]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^Winsor, Morgan (June 16, 2018)."Cartoonist fired for being critical of Trump: 'They've not silenced me".ABC News.RetrievedJune 26,2020.
  2. ^abLyons, Kim (June 15, 2018)."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Cartoonist Fired as Paper Shifts Right".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 23,2020.
  3. ^abAndrews, p. 1.
  4. ^"The Intellectual Life of Pittsburgh 1786–1836: II.: The Newspapers".Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine.14(1). Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. January 1931.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2014.
  5. ^Andrews, p. 38.
  6. ^Thomas, p. 42.
  7. ^Thomas, p. 43.
  8. ^Andrews, pp. 68, 70, 76, 88.
  9. ^Andrews, pp. 122, 135;Pittsburgh Gazette(weekly ed.), March 8, 1844, p. 1, col. 1;Pittsburgh Morning Post,March 4, 1844, p. 2, col. 1.
  10. ^Holt, Michael F. (1999).The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party.Oxfordshire, England: Oxford University Press.ISBN9780195161045.
  11. ^"About Us".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on September 8, 2006.
  12. ^Thomas, p. 101.
  13. ^Andrews, p. 245.
  14. ^"About The Daily morning post".Chronicling America.Library of Congress.Archivedfrom the original on May 11, 2014.RetrievedMay 10,2014.
  15. ^Kehl, James A. (September–December 1948)."The Allegheny Democrat, 1833–1836".The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine.31(3–4): 73–74. Archived fromthe originalon May 22, 2020.RetrievedMay 11,2014.
  16. ^Andrews, p. 73.
  17. ^Andrews, p. 292.
  18. ^Andrews, p. 291.
  19. ^Thomas, pp. 227–228.
  20. ^Thomas, pp. 229–230.
  21. ^abThomas, p. 231.
  22. ^abThomas, pp. 295–296.
  23. ^Thomas, pp. 232, 228.
  24. ^Riely, Kaitlynn (October 25, 2013)."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette building district placed on National Register of Historic Places".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on October 27, 2013.
  25. ^Thomas, pp. 281–283
  26. ^Thomas, p. 303
  27. ^Schooley, Tim (November 14, 2011)."Block brings back Pittsburgh Press in e-version".Pittsburgh Business Journal.American City Business Journals.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2016.
  28. ^"Post-Gazette signs lease for printing plant and distribution center in Clinton".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Block Communications. February 12, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2014.
  29. ^"Post-Gazette newsroom leaves history Downtown with move to North Side".post-gazette.Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2017.RetrievedMay 8,2018.
  30. ^"Turning the page: Developer considers apartments in reuse of former Post-Gazette building".
  31. ^"Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette building sold to DiCicco Development".
  32. ^"As Post-Gazette strike passes 100-day mark, not everyone optimistic an end is in sight".February 2, 2023.
  33. ^McCann, Alex (January 6, 2023)."Striking Post-Gazette workers resume picketing".Pittsburgh Union Progress.RetrievedJanuary 20,2023.
  34. ^"One year after walking out, workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remain on strike".October 18, 2023.
  35. ^"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike reaches 1 year with little progress made".October 18, 2023.
  36. ^"Injunction sought against Post-Gazette for alleged labor violations".April 19, 2024.
  37. ^abMervis, Scott (February 8, 2010)."Burgettstown pavilion renamed First Niagara".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Block Communications.Archivedfrom the original on November 29, 2014.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
  38. ^Olson, Thomas (April 8, 2009)."First Niagara Bank buys 57 National City Bank branches from PNC".TribLive.Archivedfrom the original on November 29, 2014.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
  39. ^"WIIC-TV Pittsburgh Joins NBC-TV"(PDF).Broadcasting.Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications Inc. April 1, 1957. p. 7.
  40. ^Thomas, pp. 236–237.
  41. ^"A banner week in station sales"(PDF).Broadcasting.Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications Inc. September 7, 1964. p. 54 – via American Radio History.
  42. ^"PennLive & The Patriot-News join Spotlight PA as founding partners".Spotlight PA.August 29, 2019.RetrievedNovember 6,2021.
  43. ^Gannon, Joyce (December 18, 2018)."Post-Gazette editor David Shribman to step down at end of the year".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.RetrievedOctober 29,2019.
  44. ^Boselovic, Len (September 15, 2006)."Without labor deal, PG could be sold, owners say".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on March 10, 2007.
  45. ^"The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".brooklineconnection.RetrievedNovember 12,2021.
  46. ^Fernandez, Bob (July 19, 2020)."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to cut print edition to 3 days".The Philadelphia Inquirer.RetrievedJuly 20,2019.
  47. ^Lindstrom, Natasha (January 13, 2021)."Post-Gazette reducing print edition to 2 days a week, cites plan to go all-digital".TribLive.RetrievedFebruary 27,2020.
  48. ^abc"Statement on Rob Rogers".Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. June 14, 2018.
  49. ^ab"Statement: Rob Rogers fired".Association of American Cartoonists. June 15, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon December 18, 2018.RetrievedDecember 17,2018.
  50. ^abcdefgCavna, Michael (June 14, 2018)."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette fires anti-Trump cartoonist, and mayor says it sends 'wrong message about press freedoms'".Washington Post.
  51. ^abRogers, Rob(June 15, 2018)."I Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump".The New York Times.New York City.
  52. ^Statement by Mayor William Peduto on Cartoonist Rob Rogers,Office of the Mayor, City of Pittsburgh (June 14, 2018).
  53. ^Cavna, Michael (October 23, 2018)."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hires a new conservative cartoonist after the firing of a Trump critic".The Washington Post.
  54. ^"The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Editorial Cartooning".Pulitzer Prize.April 15, 2019.RetrievedApril 19,2019.
  55. ^abDalton, Andrew (June 6, 2020)."Shouts of solidarity for black reporter pulled from protests".Associated Press.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
  56. ^Thurber, Jon (June 21, 2002)."Morris Berman, 92; Tittle Photo Endures".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2014.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
  57. ^"1992 Pulitzer Prize Winners and Their Works in Journalism and the Arts".The New York Times.April 8, 1992.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
  58. ^"Feature Photography".The Pulitzer Prizes.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
  59. ^"The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Breaking News Reporting".Pulitzer Prize.April 15, 2019.RetrievedApril 19,2019.
  60. ^"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Win at all costs".Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2012.RetrievedMay 21,2013.
  61. ^"Bill Moushey: Professor of Journalism".Point Park University.Archived fromthe originalon November 16, 2014.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
  62. ^"Wilbur Awards"(PDF).2017. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 20, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 14,2019.
  63. ^"The 2020 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Local Reporting".The Pulitzer Prizes.May 4, 2020.
  64. ^Robertson, Katie (February 19, 2024)."The New York Times Wins 3 Polk Awards".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedAugust 14,2024.
  65. ^Perkins, Lucy (February 18, 2019)."Post-Gazette Appoints Keith Burris to Top Editor Position".wesa.fm.RetrievedJuly 2,2020.
  66. ^"The man and the record".post-gazette.

Bibliography and further reading

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