Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting

Shortly after the Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, reporters from The Washington Post came together to analyze the weapon of choice for 10 of the 17 deadliest U.S. mass shootings since 2012, including the 2022 Texas massacre.

Their sobering examination of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle would win the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting, with two Blue Hens making important contributions to the series.

Todd Frankel, an alumnus from the Class of 1997, served as lead reporter for a story on how the weapon, once shunned by gun manufacturers, came to dominate the marketplace. He also co-authored an article on the likelihood of high-capacity-magazine bans. Paul Kane, an alumnus from the Class of 1992, co-wrote the final story in the package, spotlighting senators who regretted their post-Sandy Hook vote against federal background check expansion efforts.

"The families were pushing for a bill that wouldn't have done anything," Kane said of the 2012 tragedy, in which the assailant stole a legally purchased AR-15 before killing 26 people - most between the ages of 6 and 7 - in Newtown, Connecticut. "But they told us that the worst thing to happen would be nothing, so they agreed to a more moderate bill with broad public support."

Kane and his colleague spoke to many of the senators who voted against the proposed assault weapons bill or the more modest background-check legislation.