A Syracuse University alumna and former editor in chief of The Daily Orange served as co-editor on The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into widespread violence in local schools.

Rose Ciotta, the Inquirer’s senior projects editor, was instrumental in the newspaper earning the gold medal in public service award April 16 for its investigation of pervasive violence in Philadelphia’s schools. The project was presented using ‘powerful print narratives and videos to illuminate crimes committed by children against children and to stir reforms to improve safety for teachers and students,’ according to the Pulitzer Prize’s website.

The investigation was a ‘distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper,’ according to the website.

In a seven-part series, the Inquirer presented ‘Assault on Learning,’ which revealed violence in the city schools was widespread and underreported, according to an April 16 Inquirer article. The findings reported in the Inquirer, presented in print and through multimedia, were later confirmed by a Philadelphia School District blue-ribbon panel on safety, which prompted more incident reporting in the district and the hiring of a state-funded safe-schools advocate.

The award is the 19th Pulitzer Prize for the 183-year-old newspaper, according to the article. This is the first award it has received since 1997.

Ciotta graduated from SU with a degree in newspaper journalism and political science in 1975 and was editor in chief of The Daily Orange during the 1974-75 school year. She began working at the Inquirer in 1998 and is now the senior projects editor.

She played an extensive role in the project, from organizing the team of five reporters, three photographers and the investigations editor to coordinating reporting plans. Ciotta said her work on the project focused on editing, contributing to the graphics and video elements, and coordinating data for the multimedia components, which provided an interactive database for violent incidents.

Working at The Daily Orange during her time at SU greatly contributed to her successes in the field of journalism, Ciotta said.She said: ‘The D.O. taught me everything. It was instrumental in gaining experience needed for reporting.’

rebarill@syr.edu 

Published on April 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm