1976 College alumnus Steve Stecklow is part of a four-person team to which the Pulitzer Prize for public-service journalism was awarded.
Stecklow, a reporter for the The Wall Street Journal, worked at The Daily Pennsylvanian during his time at Penn. Since then, he continues to be involved with the Penn community and the DP Alumni Association.
The prestigious award was given to Stecklow's team - which also included WSJ reporters Mark Maremont, Charles Forelle and James Bandler - for its "creative and comprehensive probe into backdated stock options for business executives," according to the Pulitzer Prize Board.
As a result of the scandal, at least 70 top executives have lost their jobs, and 10 former executives are facing federal or state criminal charges.
"These Pulitzer Prizes underscore our commitment to bring readers a unique perspective on news, providing the insight and analysis they demand," WSJ Managing Editor Paul Steiger said in a press statement.
"Our teams of editors and reporters have worked painstakingly this year to unravel the complicated schemes that corporate executives use to backdate potentially lucrative stock options," he said.
This award is the sixteenth Pulitzer that the WSJ's news department has received under Steiger's tenure.
The WSJ has received 33 Pulitzers to date and six separate awards in celebration of its reporting on backdating of options.
Over 2,400 entries are submitted each year in the Pulitzer Prize competitions; only 21 are typically given by 102 judges, who serve on 20 separate juries and make three nominations in each of the 21 categories.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning stories can be viewed at www.wsj.com/free.
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