Computer helped launch Barlett & Steele to stardom
In 1973 the Philadelphia Inquirer fed 100,000 pieces of information
into a computer and proved that the Philadelphia justice system, particularly
the prosecuting attorney, was engaged in a massive paper-shuffling system
loaded with indiscriminate indictments.
It was the first computer-assisted series of stories in newspaper
history.
Donald Barlett and James Steele won the 1973 Heywood Broun Award
for their series on violent crime and the justice system quagmire. The pair
went on to successful, four-decade investigative
careers that included two Pulitzers for their Inquirer work and the magazine equivalent for their Time magazine projects.
Today, feeding information into computers to spot trends or
glitches or anomalies is routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment