Paper to Pulitzer: Former staffers used skills learned in Harbinger to thrive in journalism and have been recognized for a Pulitzer Prize

Paige Cornwell

Seattle Times reporter, East alum and 2009 Harbinger assistant-editor Paige Cornwell was back at the site of the Oso landslide — three years later. The debris in the now-disaster zone brought details of the victims’ stories flooding back.

She walked with her boyfriend around the memorial site, reciting details from each of the lives instantly stripped away and showing him trees dedicated to each of the 43 victims of the 2014 Oso, Washington landslide. She knew her old teacher Dow Tate would love those types of details in her story.

Three years prior, The Seattle Times won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the event — a team Cornwell collected information on victims’ lives for and reported on a story called “So Many People Yelling For Help.”

Her research included checking the list of missing people every day — as the weeks went on, names were only taken off of the list when a body was found. 

“At one point, I knew the list so well I could see who was taken off of the missing list and say, ‘OK, that person’s body has been found’ before they reported the deaths that day,” Cornwell said.

In the first few weeks following the event, Cornwell didn’t realize the enormity of the event and the effect of her reporting. Her priority was to tell the story the best she could — the accolade was just an added bonus.

The Pulitzer is just one of her slew of accomplishments — she’s received a Scripps Howard award, finalist for an IRE award, 2015 SPJ Regional New Journalist of the Year and second place for the National High School Journalist of the Year in 2009. 

Advisor Dow Tate and University of Nebraska Professor Scott Winter saw the potential for her success in 2009. Her confident and sharp reporting style stood out among the rest of the staff and Tate still mentions her superb writing over 13 years later. 

Cornwell and Winter met at the Kansas Journalism Institute summer camp in 2006. Winter made it his mission to recruit Cornwell to the University of Nebraska. After meeting at conventions and calling Cornwell’s mom, Winter had successfully recruited a new student.

While in Nebraska, Cornwell and Winter’s relationship grew immensely. From getting extra help during office hours freshman year to going to third world countries to help Winter teach a decade later. 

When Cornwell won the Pulitzer, as a mentor Winter was proud, but as a journalist and friend, he was jokingly jealous. 

“I was so pissed,” Winter said. “Who the hell does she think she is winning a Pulitzer at 23?”

Laura Nelson

The 39-person staff launched out of their seats into shouts and cheers when Harbinger was announced as a winner for the 2007 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award.

Harbinger Editor-In-Chief Laura Nelson was elated — the same amount of excitement she had when winning a Pulitzer prize in 2016.

“It was one of those corny high school movie moments,” Laura said. “Like the soccer team just won the tournament but for journalism nerds.”

It’s only natural Laura found her way into journalism — her parents work as editors at the Kansas City Star and her sister is an editor for Vox Magazine. She joined staff as a freshman with the goal of being an Editor-In-Chief like her sister at the time.

When her sister was editor, Laura was just beginning to climb up the editorial totem pole. They didn’t work together much on staff — that didn’t come until much later. 

Her sister Libby is now an editor at Vox magazine, and with them both being in a competitive field like journalism, the sisterly competition still stands out.

“If you told me at sixteen that my sister was going to win a Pulitzer, I’d be livid,” Libby said. 

Their healthy, competitive relationship is what makes them strive to become better. At the end of the day, Libby is proud of the journalist Laura has become, celebrating when Laura graduated  from the University of Southern California in 2012 with a journalism degree. Laura then started writing for the LA Times. She is now an investigative and enterprise reporter as a part of a two-time Pulitzer-nominated team.

In 2016, the Times won a Pulitzer for Breaking News coverage of the San Bernardino shooting. Laura worked on victim profiles and co-wrote “Shooters Kept Plans and Weapons Secret” — a minute-by-minute narrative story regarding the shooters and their motives.

One of Laura’s most memorable stories was in 2019 when a diving boat caught fire and killed 34 people. Not only was it nominated for a Pulitzer, but the responsibility of writing victim profiles is an experience that stuck with her.

“It’s gonna be one of the last things written about these people so the responsibility’s really heavy,” Laura said. “These stories are worth telling, even though they’re difficult.”

While reporting for the Times, Laura has covered at least two dozen shootings. She describes journalists as second responders with exposure to tragedy similar to firefighters or police officers. The emotional toll was too much for her and even prompted her to take a short break from reporting. 

“Many prize winning journalism stories inevitably involve something that’s gone horribly wrong,” Laura said. “It’s not the kind of unfiltered joy you would expect.”

Morgan Krakow

2015 Harbinger alum and now-journalist Morgan Krakow woke up every summer morning in rural Montana to the sun rising over the Rocky Mountains  — an average day as a student at the University of Oregon.

Krakow spent a summer in college on a field research trip biking across Montana, reporting on climate change. The extended college course combined Krakow’s two passions — adventure and journalism. 

The driven and friendly environment of the “J-room” convinced Krakow to continue with journalism. Other staffers she saw as close friends all worked together to push each other to do their best by shamelessly critiquing each other’s designs and editing stories until 2 a.m. to meet their fullest potential.

“[On Harbinger] everyone was such a mixed bag and kind of from all different parts of East in different social circles,” Krakow said. “It felt like it was just this place where everyone could kind of come together and be themselves and be weird.”

She then attended the University of Oregon to get her journalism degree. After graduation,  Krakow interned at the Washington Post looking into the Trump Administration.

During her internship, Krakow reported on two consecutive mass-shootings. She wrote profiles on the victims and was tasked with contacting distraught family and friends. 

“It’s a fresh wound for people,” Krakow said. “I personally struggled with whether I should talk to them.”

The Post’s coverage made them a 2020 Pulitzer finalist in the breaking news category. The stories from this time are still stuck in Krakow’s mind — not because of the award but because of the emotional dent left by the 29 lives taken.