Jacqui Banaszynski | |
|---|---|
 Banaszynski in 2011 | |
| Born | Jacqueline Marie Banaszynski April 17, 1952 Pulaski, Wisconsin, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for |
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Jacqueline Marie Banaszynski (born April 17, 1952)[1] is an American journalist. She was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1988. Banaszynski went on to become a professor and a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Chair at the school of journalism at University of Missouri.
Born in Pulaski, Wisconsin,[1] Banaszynski began working as a journalist in high school and when she was 15, became the associate editor of the school paper, the Pulaski News.[2] Part of the appeal of working on the paper was that the journalism program gave her access to sporting events at the school level.[3] Banaszynski graduated from Pulaski High School in 1970 and earned a degree in journalism from Marquette University in 1974., graduating magna cum laude.[1][2][4][5][3]
Around 1984, Banaszynski started working for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch.[6] In 1985, she went on assignment to Africa and her story about Sudanese victims of famine, "The Trail of Tears," became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1986.[7][8]
Banaszynski wrote a special report called "AIDS in the Heartland" while she was a reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch.[2] The report was a series of stories that centered around the lives of two gay Minnesota farmers, Both had contracted and died of AIDS .[2] She and photographer Jean Pieri searched for a year for subjects that they felt could "humanize people afflicted by this terrifying new illness."[9] Their choice of following Dick Hanson and his partner, Bert Henningson, at first upset readers of the newspaper, but after the final installment of the 3 part series, most readers seemed to sympathize with both men.[9] The series won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1988.[10]
In 1997, Banaszynski began working for The Seattle Times and in 2003, became the Associate Managing Editor for special projects and staff development.[11]
Banaszynski was inducted into the American Society of Sunday and Feature Editors Hall of Fame in 2008.[4] She went on to become the Knight Chair at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.[12]
