Journalism alumae win Pulitzer

Two of our department's alumnae share accolades for no less than a PULITZER.

Dr. Robert Buckman, retired journalism professor: Two UL Lafayette grads, Jennifer Brown (1997) and Tiffany Segura (2012), will share in the Pulitzer Prize The Advocate just won for local reporting. Both handled copy editing and page design for the five-part series “Tipping the Scales,” which helped lead to a constitutional amendment requiring unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases instead of a 10-2 split.
The Pulitzer Committee’s website extolled the staff of The Advocate “for a damning portrayal of the state’s discriminatory conviction system, including a Jim Crow-era law, that enabled Louisiana courts to send defendants to jail without jury consensus on the accused’s guilt.”
Jennifer emailed me: “I must say, this editing of this series would not be possible without Tiffany Segura’s impeccable skills, and I’m more than grateful to have her on my staff every day. . . We’re beyond thrilled!”
This is Jennifer’s second Pulitzer! Her first was in 2006 for The Times-Picayune’s coverage of Katrina.
I also remember that Tiffany won first place in copy editing in the onsite competition at one of the SEJC conventions, I think in Martin, Tenn., in 2012, so this garland doesn’t surprise me.