Also nominated: The Detroit News for the work of Norman Sinclair, Ronald Hansen and Melvin Claxton, which revealed dangerous defects in the criminal justice system; Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal for exposing a culture of corruption in Florida's Escambia County.
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING - Staff of The Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, Mass., for articles on the accidental drowning of four boys in the Merrimack River.
Also nominated: The Baltimore Sun staff for its coverage of the sniper killings that terrorized the Washington-Baltimore region; The Seattle Times staff for its coverage of the local connections to the two suspects arrested in the sniper attacks.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING - Clifford J. Levy of The New York Times for his "Broken Homes" series, which exposed the abuse of mentally ill adults in state-regulated homes.
Also nominated: Alan Miller and Kevin Sack of the Los Angeles Times for their examination of a military aircraft, the Harrier, linked to the deaths of 45 pilots (they won the national reporting prize); The Seattle Times staff for its article showing how an Algerian boy evolved into a terrorist.
EXPLANATORY REPORTING - The Wall Street Journal staff for articles illuminating the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America.
Also nominated: Jim Haner, John B. O'Donnell and Kimberly A.C. Wilson of The Baltimore Sun for their examination of the city's low conviction rate in murder cases; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff for its explanation of chronic wasting disease among deer in Wisconsin.
BEAT REPORTING - Diana K. Sugg of The Baltimore Sun for articles that illuminated complex medical issues through the lives of people.
Also nominated: Cameron W. Barr of The Christian Science Monitor for his coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; David Cay Johnston of The New York Times for his articles on complicated U.S. tax laws and how corporations and people twist them to their advantage.
NATIONAL REPORTING - Alan Miller and Kevin Sack of the Los Angeles Times for their examination of a military aircraft, the Harrier, that was linked to the deaths of 45 pilots.
Also nominated: The Chicago Tribune staff for its exploration of the fall of accounting firm Arthur Andersen; Anne Hull of The Washington Post for her accounts of young immigrants coming of age in the South; The New York Times staff for its articles exposing and explained corruption in corporate America.
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING - Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan of The Washington Post for their exposure of conditions in Mexico's criminal justice system.
Also nominated: Alix M. Freedman and Steve Stecklow of The Wall Street Journal for reports on how Iraqi President Saddam Hussein profited from United Nations sanctions; R.C. Longworth of the Chicago Tribune for his series on emerging tensions between the United States and Europe.
FEATURE WRITING - Sonia Nazario of the Los Angeles Times for "Enrique's Journey," on a Honduran boy's search for his mother, who had migrated to the United States.
Also nominated: Connie Schultz of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer for her article about a wrongfully convicted man who refused to succumb to anger or bitterness; David Stabler of The Oregonian of Portland for his chronicle of a teen-age prodigy's struggle with a musical talent.
COMMENTARY - Colbert I. King of The Washington Post for his against-the-grain columns.
Also nominated: Edward Achorn of The Providence (R.I.) Journal-Bulletin for his call to action against government corruption in Rhode Island; Mark Holmberg of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch for his columns on a broad range of topics.
CRITICISM - Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post for his authoritative film criticism.
Also nominated: John King of the San Francisco Chronicle for his criticism of architecture and urban design and their impact on life in his city; Nicolai Ouroussoff of the Los Angeles Times for his reviews and essays on architectural development and preservation.
EDITORIAL WRITING - Cornelia Grumman of the Chicago Tribune for her editorials against the death penalty.
Also nominated: Robert L. Pollock of The Wall Street Journal for his editorials on the Food and Drug Administration's delay in approval of new cancer drugs; Linda Valdez of The Arizona Republic of Phoenix for her editorials on illegal immigrants and on the state's flawed justice of the peace courts.
EDITORIAL CARTOONING - David Horsey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for his cartoons executed with a distinctive style and sense of humor.
Also nominated: Rex Babin of The Sacramento Bee for cartoons on a broad range of subjects; Clay Bennett of The Christian Science Monitor for his portfolio of cartoons.
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY - Rocky Mountain News staff for its coverage of Colorado's raging forest fires.
Also nominated: Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times for her depiction of the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; The Washington Times staff for its coverage of the sniper killings in the Washington region.
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - Don Bartletti of the Los Angeles Times for his portrayal of how undocumented Central American youths travel north to the United States.
Also nominated: Matt Black, freelance photographer for the Los Angeles Times, for documenting the legacy of black sharecroppers who migrated to California's San Joaquin Valley during the Depression; Brad Clift of The Hartford (Conn.) Courant for "Heroin Town," pictures that spotlighted heroin addiction in a Connecticut city.