The Hottest Section in the Industry?

One of the interesting angles post-Pulitzer this week is that Post editors are bragging that they’ve assembled the “greatest collection of critics in the industry.” Robin Givhan, controversial as she is, was the feather in Len Downie and Phil Bennett‘s cap that Style, under the tenure of Deb Heard, is the nation’s hottest place for criticism. (Of course, all three of those people have an entirely unbiased view of the newsroom.)

Aside from Robin, Style has four other criticism Pulitzer winners currently on staff: Stephen Hunter, Tim Page, Tom Shales and Henry Allen (though Allen writes only infrequently and is only on contract now)

That’s not even counting book critic Jonathan Yardley, whose work appears in Style, or Michael Dirda‘s 1993 award for book criticism. And, of course, former dance critic Alan Kriegsman‘s 1978 Pulitzer is even getting bandied about.

(The New York Times, or Brand X as the Post knows it, only has one Pulitzer-level critic on staff right now.)

Heard and her co-hort, Steve Reiss, along with Arts Editor John Pancake think there may be some more criticism Pulitzers in the section’s future from rising stars Ann Hornaday, Philip Kennicott, or maybe even J. Freedom Du Lac on down the road.

Of course what does it say about the Style section that despite it cleaning up on criticism awards, it’s never had a features writer win one of the coveted Pulitzers?

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