Sunday Morning - April 21, 2002

A Weekly Column By Mike Johnston
The Pictures of Carolyn Cole
This year, The New York Times was given an unprecedented honor by the Pulitzer Prize committee � its entire staff, freelancers included (!), swept the awards for photography. It is the first time a single newspaper has done so.
The temptation is to consider this an extension of the sympathy the rest of the nation offered to New York in the wake of its tragedy. But the unusual honor is well deserved because of the extraordinary nature of the situation. The destruction of the World Trade Center was the central event of the news year for all Americans, and the talented staff of the Times was on home ground. Many photographers, editors, and support staff worked at an almost superhuman pitch to document the tragedy, its aftermath, and its human repercussions. Their work was, and is, extraordinary.
Still, there is something slightly elegiac in this situation for people who cherish the power of photojournalism. ...