Share

Pulitzer-winner into PR now

Washington - A Pulitzer prize honouring his work as a journalist came a bit too late for Rob Kuznia, who had to quit the profession because it didn't pay enough.

Kuznia, 39, was honoured on Monday for his reporting with the Daily Breeze, a 63 000 circulation newspaper in Torrance, California.

His expose about corruption in a southern California school system caught the eye of Pulitzer judges who awarded it American journalism's highest honour.

But after the award was announced, the LA Observed website reported that Kuznia quit journalism last year and now works as a publicist for the USC Shoah Foundation - an organization dedicated to documenting eyewitness accounts from the Holocaust and other genocides.

LA Observed, which contacted Kuznia after the prestigious award was announced, said the former reporter "admitted to a twinge of regret at no longer being a journalist, but he said it was too difficult to make ends meet on his newspaper salary while renting in the LA area."

In another interview on the Shoah Foundation website, Kuznia ruled out a return to his former profession, and expressed satisfaction in working on "global issues of the highest magnitude," such as the fight against genocide and for greater tolerance.

"I'm very excited to be playing on a bigger stage," Kuznia said.

The Pulitzer committee, in announcing the award, hailed the Daily Breeze's "inquiry into widespread corruption in a small, cash-strapped school district, including impressive use of the paper's website."

First awarded in 1917, Pulitzer Prizes honour work published by US news organisations, or of American authors and composers.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 584 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 824 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent-ruolie
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE