♪ ♪ >> ERIC: FOR THE SECOND TIME IN JUST HALF A DECADE, THE MINNESOTA "STAR TRIBUNE" HAS BEEN AWARDED A PULITZER PRIZE FOR THEIR COVERAGE OF A TRAGEDY THAT STRUCK OUR STATE.

THE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD WAS ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK IN RECOGNITION OF THE PAPER'S REPORTING ON THE MASS SHOOTING AT ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL LAST SUMMER.

HERE WITH US NOW ARE TWO MEMBERS OF THAT AWARD-WINNING TEAM.

ERIC WIEFFERING IS A MANAGING EDITOR FOR THE "STAR TRIBUNE," AND HE'S JOINED BY STATE AND REGIONAL REPORTER REID FORGRAVE.

CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS, AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

TAKE US THROUGH THE FIRST ITERATION OF THIS.

YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT IT.

AND WHERE DO YOU START AS A COVERING IT?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAD -- IT LITERALLY WAS ALMOST IN SOMEONE'S BACKYARD.

ONE OF OUR REPORTERS WAS IN HIS BACKYARD AND HEARD THE SHOTS.

AND HIS FIRST CALL WAS TO 11.

THEN HE CALLED THE NEWS ROOM AND HE HEADED OVER TO THE CHURCH.

ONE OF OUR EDITORS, WAS IN THE CHURCH WHEN THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AND SHE HAD JUST GOTTEN TO THE NEWS ROOM AND GOT THE CALL.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO SCRAMBLE PEOPLE BOTH TO THE SCHOOL AND CHURCH AND TO EMERGENCY ROOMS RIGHT WAY.

ONE OF THE REASONS WE OT THAT GREAT PHOTOGRAPH FROM RICH IS BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE THERE.

AND -- >> Eric: THIS IS THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WOMAN WITH -- BAREFOOT.

RUNNING, HOLDING HER SHOES.

>> Cathy: WOW.

I MEAN, WHAT AN IMAGE, IGHT?

>> Eric: THAT WENT AROUND THE WORLD.

>> Cathy: AND OF COURSE JOURNALISTS RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER.

WE DON'T OFTEN TALK ABOUT THAT.

I'M WONDERING HOW THOSE REPORTERS AND STAFF ARE DOING.

>> I THINK WE DO BETTER THAN WE USED TO AT TALKING ABOUT IT.

AND ONE THING ABOUT THIS AWFUL TRAGEDY IS THAT -- I LIVE CLOSE TO ANNUNCIATION, I LIVE FIVE BLOCKS AWAY AND IT THE WAY THAT IT HAS NORMALIZED THERAPY IN THIS COMMUNITY IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.

ARE PEOPLE AT ANNUNCIATION DOING ELL?

NO.

I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE DOING WELL.

ARE REPORTERS NECESSARILY DOING WELL?

YOU KNOW, IT'S UP AND DOWN.

BUT I DO THINK THAT IN 2026 AMERICA, WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH MORE THAN WE EVER DID.

AND IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, I WAS AT ANNUNCIATION THE DAY AFTER THE PULITZER WAS ANNOUNCED.

I WAS WORTH ON A STORY ALL DAY THERE.

AND THERE'S A LITTLE GIRL THERE, AND SAID, THAT'S REID, HE GOES TO THE SAME THERAPIST THAT I DO.

AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY HEALTHY BEHALF OF PROCESSING THIS.

>> Cathy: FOR FOLKS WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND, THE CHOICES MADE IN CONTINUING COVERAGE, IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AND MONTHS AFTER SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

>> YEAH, THAT FIRST DAY WE HAD A LIVE DIALOGUE GOING FOR 13 HOURS.

AND THAT LIVE DIALOGUE WAS UPDATED 83 TIMES THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE DAY.

AND THAT'S BE EXPECTATION THAT READERS HAVE THESE DAYS, RIGHT?

THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW IN REAL TIME.

AND THAT PUTS AN INCREDIBLE BURDEN ON YOU TO BE ACCURATE.

SO THE GUARDRAILS AROUND ACCURACY AND FAIRNESS DON'T GO DOWN IN THAT KIND OF SITUATION.

SO IT'S JUST A REMARKABLE TESTAMENT TO THE ENERGY THAT OUR REPORTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHICS PEOPLE BROUGHT TO THIS STORY BECAUSE THEY WERE OPERATING AT INCREDIBLY HIGH SPEED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

WE HAD 83 UPDATES.

WE HAD 13 SEPARATE SPOARS.

WE PRODUCED A 10 WE PRODUCED A 1 10 MINUTE VIDEO AND WE TRANSMITTED DOZENS AND DOZENS PHOTOS.

AND THEN THE STORY GOES ON.

OUR COVERAGE DIDN'T END AT THAT POINT.

THE AWARD RECOGNIZES THE FIRST SEVEN-DAYS OF COVERAGE BUT WE COMMITTED TO TELLING THIS STORY.

>> Cathy: IN YOUR APPLICATION TO THE PULITZER BOARD, THE "STAR TRIBUNE" NOTED, THE NEWS ROOM DECIDED EARLY ON THAT IT WOULD NOT LET THE SHOOTING BE EASILY FORGOTTEN, THE STAFF WOULD HOLD UP ANNUNCIATION'S PAIN AND ASK OUR READERS TO RECKON WITH IT.

>> THAT IS ACTUALLY WHAT I'M MOST PROUD OF WITH THIS NEWS ROOM IS THAT VERY EARLY ON, I WENT ON A WALK WITH DEVON O'BRIEN, HE IS AN ANNUNCIATION PARENT.

HE WAS IN THE CHURCH THAT DAY.

HE RAN TOWARD THE DANGER.

HE RAN TOWARD THE SHOOTER.

HE KNOWS PUBLIC GRIEF AND PUBLIC TRAGEDY BECAUSE HIS UNCLE WAS TOM BARNETT JUNIOR WHO WAS ON FLIGHT 93 ON 9/11.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DEVON SAID TO ME THAT FRAMED HOW I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS SINCE THEN IS IN THE YEARS SINCE 9/11, EVERYONE FOCUSES ON THAT DAY AND HE SAYS THAT'S REALLY JUST CHAPTER ONE.

IN THE ANNUNCIATION COMMUNITY, THEY REFER TO IT AS 8/27 AND THEY SEE THAT AS JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER, A DARK CHAPTER, AN AWFUL CHAPTER, A CHAPTER THAT SORT OF DETERMINES ALL OF THE REST, BUT WHAT I THINK THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB OF IS FRAMING THEIR OWN STORY.

AND I THINK THAT IF WE'VE PLAYED A SMALL PART IN THAT, THAT, I'M AS PROUD OF THAT AS ANY PRIZE THEY COULD GIVE US.

>> Eric: ONE OF THE KIND OF CLICHES OF JOURNALISM IS THAT IN THE WAKE OF A TRAGEDY, THE FIRST FEW HOURS, THERE'S WRONG INFORMATION PUT OUT.

FROM YOUR JOB AS MANAGING EDITOR, WHAT'S THAT LIKE FOR YOU TO MAKE SURE STUFF IS ACCURATE?

>> WELL, THE PRESSURE IS ON ALL OF US, THE REPORTERS, EDITORS, AND THEN THERE WERE SOME CALLS WE HAVE TO MAKE, AND THERE YOU ARE JUST REALLY RELYING ON THE TRUST THAT YOU'VE BUILT UP WITH THE REPORTING STAFF.

WE WERE THE FIRST TO REPORT THE TWO CHILDREN WERE DEAD.

THAT'S A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO.

BUT WE KNEW THAT INFORMATION WAS SOLID.

THE SOURCING WAS SOLID.

I THINK WE I THINK W WE WERE THE FIRST TO IDENTIFY THE NAME OF THE SHOOTER.

AND, YOU NOW, IT IS -- THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS INVOLVE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF EDITORS AND THE FINAL CALL IS MADE BY THE TOP ED TOP E EDITOR, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, KATHLEEN HENSY.

>> Eric: NOW PEOPLE THAT AREN'T IN JOURNALISM WILL SAY, WELL, HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YOU HEN THIS HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IS HAPPENING?

AND MAYBE FOLKS AT HOME WOULD BE INTERESTING N HEARING HOW WHEN YOU PUT ON YOUR JOURNALISM HAT.

>> I CRIED A LOT THAT DAY.

I CRIED A LOT IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS AFTER THIS.

I CRIED WHEN I WAS TALKING TO A FOURTH GRADE CLASS AT ANNUNCIATION EARLIER THIS WEEK.

I THINK PUTTING YOUR JOURNALISM CAP IS ON, IS WE GET THE FACTS RIGHT.

BUT I ALSO THINK IN -- WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF JOURNALISTS, SOMETIMES WE GET A BAD RAP, A LOT OF IT BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA OR BECAUSE OF, LIKE, NATIONAL JOURNALISM.

BUT I THINK AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS IS THE COMPASSION, THE PUTTING HUMANITY FIRST.

AND I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OUR NEWS THAT OUR NE NEWS ROOM, DAY IN, DAY OUT, NOT JUST ON THIS STORY, BUT WE DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF CENTERING THE HUMANITY.

>> Cathy: THIS IS THE "STAR TRIBUNE"'S THIRD PULITZER I BELIEVE?

>> YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD A CONVERSATION.

IT'S OUR TENTH, IF YOU LOOK BACK.

>> Cathy: IS IT?

OWE, WOW!

>> BUT THE FIRST ONE SINCE 2021, WHICH RECOGNIZED THE GEORGE FLOYD COVERAGE.

BUT WE WERE A FINALIZE IN 2022, A FINALIST IN 2023.

A FINALIST IN 2018.

SO WE'VE BEEN IN THE HUNT.

BUT THIS -- IT FEELS REALLY GOOD TO WIN ONE AND NOT JUST BE A FINALIST.

>> Cathy: AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO A NEWS ROOM TO WIN A PULITZER?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S -- THE NEWS ROOM IS INCREDIBLY THANKFUL TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE WORK IT DID, AND IT'S GRATIFYING THAT IT RECOGNIZES THE WORK OF THE ENTIRE NEWS ROOM, BUT THOSE FEELINGS WERE VERY MUCH TEMPERED BY THE FEELING THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST DAYS IN STATE HISTORY AND THAT THERE IS A COMMUNITY, THAT EXPANDS BEYOND ANNUNCIATION, THAT IS STILL GRIEVING AND STILL TRYING TO PROCESS WHAT HAPPENED AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN IF THAT'S POSSIBLE.

>> Eric: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS, GREAT WORK AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING COVERAGE ON THE