EDITOR: Thank you for pushing us to Pulitzer finals

“Revealing a lack of government oversight at the local, state, and national levels, this was a stunning effort.”

In American journalism, there is no Final Four. There's the Final Three. And a team of Charlotte Observer journalists reached that rare pinnacle on Monday.

The Pulitzer Prize board honored the Observer's investigation into the home foreclosure crisis as one of three finalists for its most cherished award, the 2008 Gold Medal for Public Service.

The winner, also announced Monday, was The Washington Post, which exposed mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed hospital. The Post's series triggered significant changes in patient care. Read more