Pulitzer Prize Committee should consider "Rich dog, poor dog" project in Tennessean edition

Dear Pulitzer judges,

I have just come across a piece of journalism that I believe should be included in your ongoing judging of entries for distinctive newspaper work in America.

I get the Davidson A.M. edition of The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville weekly. It is thrown on my lawn for free.

And the March 18 edition had an extensive package of investigative journalism that showed the local plight of a dog still going to the groomers and one in the animal shelter. Called "Rich dog, poor dog", the project followed the plight of these animals in an economy amid a deep recession.

The obvious factor that makes the project so unique is that the newspaper was able to investigate and find this special story amid more visible signs of misery such as tent cities cropping up around Nashville for homeless human beings and long lines of people needing free food.

The two stories in the investigative project took up four-fifths of the entire front page and then had to jump to the back page, which was entirely devoted to doggies. And then there was a new piece back there.

The project represented quite a commitment by The Tennessean to the welfare of animals while so many human beings including children are suffering in Nashville and Middle Tennessee due to the economy.

It takes a different kind of newspaper under the leadership of Mark Silverman to avoid the full story of human misery for that of animals.

I hope your committee could find time to review this work and respond with the appropriate comments.

Sincerely,

Tim Chavez
Tennessean reader(when it's free)