Alabama reporters earn Pulitzer Prize for uncovering police corruption in small town

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  This week'S Pulitzer Prizes included recognitions for many national major news organizations.

  But, as William Brangham reports, one local news organization in Alabama also received multiple prizes yesterday, including a father-son duo.

• William Brangham:

  A team of reporters from AL.com revealed how the police force in the small Alabama town of Brookside used aggressive policing and made up charges to extract fines out of people, including many poor residents, in order to jack up the town's revenues.

  The multipart investigation by four journalists led to the dismissal of multiple cases, the removal of several police officers, including the chief, changes to state laws, and even a warning to officials nationwide by the Department of Justice to avoid doing exactly what this police force did.

  Joining me now are two of the reporters who worked on this prize-winning investigation, John Archibald and his son, Ramsey Archibald.

  Gentlemen, thank you both so much for being here. Congratulations to you both.

  John, to start with you, again, tremendous congratulations. I should say this is your second Pulitzer Prize.

  Can I just get your reaction to this wonderful news?

• John Archibald, AL.com:

  No, it's the most fantastic thing in the world to me, and certainly the history of my 37 years in the business now about the story which was impactful and did what we set out to do.

  But the fact that you get to do it with your kid is the greatest thing in the world.

• William Brangham:

  Yes, I bet that is.

  Ramsey, what was that like for you?

• Ramsey Archibald, AL.com:

  I mean, working with not only my dad, but the team that we had, was amazing.

  I mean, so everyone on this team prior to this had already won a Pulitzer Prize, outside of me, so great company to be in, obviously and to go through this — again, we are in separate cities right now, but to be able to win this with my dad is just — I'm speechless.

• William Brangham:

  I mean, for people who don't know this, Ramsey, I mean, your dad is — as you well know, is kind of a big deal in Alabama. He's really one of the best-known reporters and columnists there.

  What is that like going into the newsroom every day? Like, did he — did he pile on extra work, so as not to seem like he was favoriting you? Or did he cut you some slack? What was that like?

• Ramsey Archibald:

  Oh, he made it clear he was not going to favor me in any way in the newsroom. And I wouldn't have wanted that either.

  But it is true. I mean, before I started working at AL.com, we would — as a child, we'd be walking through the grocery store, and people would recognize him from having his face on the cover of the newspaper three times a week. And so I was very aware of who he was outside of our family my whole life, which is sort of intimidating in some ways.

  But it's also pretty cool.

• William Brangham:

  And, John, how about you? When Ramsey says to you, dad, I'm thinking about this journalism thing, I see it's worked out pretty great for you, you seem to like it, what was your advice to him?

  (LAUGHTER)

• John Archibald:

  I mean, to be honest, I don't think I gave him much advice, other than it's a tough business to be in. It was tough when the when the industry was in the so-called golden age of journalism. But it's so important now.

  It's just so much more important for young, creative, smart, honest kids to go into this business, and usher us into a — the future, whatever that looks like. I'm just glad I have a kid that meets all that — all those qualifications.

  So I don't want to influence him in any way, in terms of what he should do. He should do what he wants to do, if it makes him happy. And it seems to be doing that.

• William Brangham:

  John, you mentioned some of this at the beginning, that your investigation triggered a lot of changes, at the local level. The DOJ even sort of reached out to officials nationwide, saying don't do these kinds of things.

  How gratifying is that to you? I mean, a lot of times, we do in journalism a lot of work, and it seems like people don't respond. Here, you really did effect some changes. That's got to be incredibly gratifying too.

• John Archibald:

  It's super gratifying in this particular environment, and especially in a place like Alabama, where we have a supermajority of one party.

  And to see people, legislators cross the aisles to recognize that this was bad, to see that four pieces of legislation came out of this limiting how fines and fees can be used, it was great. And the fact that we sort of were able to make people understand fining and fees, it was a big deal.

  But when people, large numbers of people began to have charges dropped, and to sort of get a new lease on life, and they came to us and said, thank you, because I got my life back, that's better than any stories about corruption or sleazy public officials we have ever done.

  I mean, people are getting a second chance. And it's, like, money.

• William Brangham:

  Ramsey, I see you nodding your head along there. What would you add to that? It must be just a tremendous feeling to have that kind of an impact.

• Ramsey Archibald:

  Oh, absolutely.

  It's great to win this award, to be recognized for the work that we have done. But we would have been so proud of this work if it had won nothing just because of the effects that it had, not only in the legislature and across the state, but for the actual people here, which I think often gets sort of swept under the rug or lost in these sorts of stories.

  So, to me, I mean, you couldn't ask for anything better than that.

• William Brangham:

  We're talking to you in two separate cities. So I have taken you two have not seen each other since the actual award has been announced.

  You guys have a celebration planned when you finally get back together?

• John Archibald:

  You know, it's terrible that you ask about a celebration planned for me and my kid, though I guarantee you some tequila shots will be involved.

  (LAUGHTER)

• Ramsey Archibald:

  It's a tradition.

• William Brangham:

  It's a key part of the journalistic tradition.

  John Archibald, Ramsey Archibald, congratulations to you both from AL.com. Thank you so much.

• John Archibald:

  Thank you.

• Ramsey Archibald:

  Thank you.