Pulitzer panel won't revoke 1932 prize

By Larry McShane
The Associated Press

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NEW YORK — The 1932 Pulitzer Prize awarded to a New York Times reporter accused of deliberately ignoring the forced famine in Ukraine will not be revoked, the board for the journalism awards said yesterday.

"The board determined that there was not clear and convincing evidence of deliberate deception, the relevant standard in this case," said a statement from the Pulitzer Prize Board after members met yesterday.

A Pulitzer subcommittee began a review of the late Walter Duranty's work in April.

Ukrainian groups complained Duranty's reports intentionally made no mention of the 1932-1933 forced famine in Ukraine that killed up to 7 million people. Josef Stalin's government created the famine to force Ukrainian peasants into surrendering their land.

The board's decision was criticized by Ukrainian groups that had sent the Pulitzer committee more than 15,000 letters and postcards demanding the revocation.

"The Pulitzer Prize committee must review their standards of journalistic integrity," said Michael Sawkiw, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. He added that his group will continue to press for revocation.

The board's statement pointed out the award was given for 13 articles written and published during 1931 — before the famine.

The review of Duranty's work did find that his 1931 work, "measured by today's standards, falls seriously short," the statement said.

The board added that its finding echoed those of scholars and the Times.

In the 86-year history of the awards, no Pulitzer has been revoked. The prize was once returned, however, when Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke surrendered her Pulitzer in 1981 after admitting she had fabricated stories.

Duranty covered the Soviet Union for the Times from 1922 to 1941, earning acclaim for an exclusive 1929 interview with Stalin.

He was eventually criticized for reporting the Communist line rather than the facts. According to the 1990 book "Stalin's Apologist," Duranty knew of the famine but ignored the atrocities to preserve his access to Stalin.

The Times has also distanced itself from Duranty's work. The reporter's 1932 Pulitzer is displayed with this caveat: "Other writers in the Times and elsewhere have discredited this coverage."

In a statement yesterday, Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said he respected and commended the Pulitzer board's decision.

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