Date Contact: Allyse Ketter

Immediate Release Phone: (815) 440-4614

Email: ankette@ilstu.edu

Pulitzer Prize Winner Visits Illinois State

NORMAL, Ill.- Mitch Pugh started as a Vidette writer, and now runs the largest daily newspaper

in South Carolina. The Pulitzer Prize winner focuses on digital audience development and

emerging media at his paper, The Post and Courier. Pugh will be speaking to Illinois State

students 9 a.m. Wednesday April 17th, in room 145 of the Center for the Visual Arts.

As the Executive Editor, Pugh oversees news operations and digital products. When he

took over The Post and Courier, his focus was on improving online strategy to fit today’s digital

world. This includes posting more online news, quick-response updates, and providing updates

to mobile audiences rather than TV and radio audiences.

His eye for journalism and adaptation helped him win the Pulitzer Prize for public

service. His paper was honored for a series examining why South Carolina is one of the deadliest

states for women. The series, “Till Death Do Us Part,” helped put the issue of domestic violence

on the state’s agenda.

Pugh’s keynote is part of COM Week, an annual event sponsored by ISU’s School of

Communication, taking place April 15-19, 2019. Admission is free, and all ISU students are

invited to attend. For more information, go to the COM Week 2019 website at

https://casit.illinoisstate.edu/sites/comweek.

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