A Poynter Community Conversation featuring Poynter President Neil Brown and winners of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize

Date:
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024

Location:
The Poynter Institute
801 Third St. S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Time:
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – VIP reception with hors devours
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. – Program with audience Q&A

Tickets:

$50 Price General Admission
The General Admission ticket gives guests access to an intimate, 90-minute conversation with Neil Brown and winners of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Guests will also have a chance to ask Brown and Pulitzer winners questions during an audience Q&A. Doors for General Admission guests open at 6:00 p.m. The program will start at 6:30 p.m.

$100 VIP
VIP Experience guests will mix and mingle during a pre-event reception with Neil Brown, Pulitzer winners and other event guests over hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine before the featured program at 6:30 p.m.

VIP reception starts at 5:30 p.m.

Step into the world of the Pulitzer Prizes with an exclusive evening hosted by The Poynter Institute. Join Neil Brown, Poynter President and co-chair of the Pulitzer board in 2023 and 2024, as he shares his unique perspective from nearly a decade of involvement in selecting the most distinguished works in journalism, literature and the arts. Brown will discuss the significant changes and challenges faced by the Pulitzers, including the integration of new media forms such as podcasts and digital journalism. Expect engaging behind-the-scenes stories and insights from his tenure on the board.

Brown will then be joined by two Pulitzer winners who will participate in a panel discussion highlighting their experiences in winning a Pulitzer Prize. Attendees will receive a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most prestigious awards in the world. 

Guests who purchase tickets to the VIP reception can enjoy beer, wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to mingle with local Pulitzer Prize winners and attendees prior to the main event. 

About the event

This is an unprecedented opportunity to gain insider knowledge about the Pulitzer Prizes and connect with leading figures in journalism. During this one-night-only program, Brown will: 

• Discuss the Pulitzers’ transformation and adaptation to the changing media landscape.
• Share some of the most notable stories and controversies the board has handled. 
• Lead an insightful panel discussion with Pulitzer winners. 
• Participate in an engaging Q&A session with the audience. 

Pulitzer-winning guests of the event include:

• Lane DeGregory, enterprise reporter, Tampa Bay Times
• Kathleen McGrory, editor, New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship
• Tim Nickens, former editor of editorials, Tampa Bay Times
• Corey Johnson, reporter, ProPublica
• Daniel Ruth, Former columnist, Tampa Bay Times, and Faculty member of The Judy Genshaft Honors College at the University of South Florida
• Rebecca Woolington, investigative editor, Tampa Bay Times

Learn more about the history and development of the Pulitzer Prizes by visiting this page: History of The Pulitzer Prizes.

About our special guest

Poynter president Neil Brown

Neil Brown is the president of The Poynter Institute. He joined Poynter in September 2017, after serving as the editor and vice president of the Tampa Bay Times.

He was named editor of the Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times) in May 2010, and in that capacity oversaw the journalism published in the Times, on its website tampabay.com, and in related products including a daily tabloid called tbt*.

During Brown’s tenure leading the Times news staff, the paper won more national and state awards than at any time in its history, including six Pulitzer Prizes in the last eight years. He also launched PolitiFact.com, the fact-checking website that has been replicated nationally and inspired similar efforts worldwide.

Brown first joined Times Publishing in 1988, serving as managing editor in Washington, D.C., at Congressional Quarterly, a former Times affiliate company. He came to the Times in 1993 as world editor in charge of national and international news and then as managing editor and executive editor. He was named to the Times Publishing Company’s board in 1997 as a director and was made a vice president in 2001.

A native of Chicago, Brown is a graduate of the University of Iowa, Phi Beta Kappa, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism. He began his newspaper career as a reporter and editor at The Miami Herald, covering government and politics in Miami and working in bureaus in Key West, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach.

In 2015, Brown was elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board, and in 2022 was elected co-chair. He previously served four years as a Pulitzer Prize nominating juror in journalism. He is past president of the Florida Society of News Editors and served six years on the Board of Directors of the American Society of News Editors. In 2010, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Iowa School of Journalism.

Brown lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, journalist and author Gelareh Asayesh. They have two children.

See all members of the Pulitzer Board here.

Questions?

We’d love to hear from you. Please send your inquiries to marketing@poynter.org.

The Poynter Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3.
The EIN for the organization is 99-0731998.