Oklahoma native wins Pulitzer prize

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An Oklahoma native picked up a Pulitzer Prize Monday for his reports on the war in Iraq.<br><br>Anthony Shadid, a reporter for the Washington Post, won a Pulitzer Prize for international

Tuesday, April 6th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An Oklahoma native picked up a Pulitzer Prize Monday for his reports on the war in Iraq.

Anthony Shadid, a reporter for the Washington Post, won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.

Shadid was recognized for his "extraordinary ability to capture, at personal peril," the voices and emotions of Iraqis during and after the war, the Pulitzer judges said.

As most reporters fled the country on the eve of the war, Shadid called his editor in Washington and asked to stay in Iraq to write about its struggle.

"What went on here was really a collaborative effort," Shadid told AP radio from Iraq. "I had incredible colleagues -- first-rate people throughout -- that enjoyed each other and learned from each other and worked together well."

Shadid, 35, was born and raised in Oklahoma City and attended the University of Oklahoma for a year before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated.

He worked for The Associated Press for about 10 years and spent four of those years in the organization's Cairo bureau.

Anthony Shadid, whose grandparents were Lebanese, is fluent in Arabic and has written books about political struggles in the Middle East.

Shadid's father, Buddy, is a retired dentist in Oklahoma City.

He said he was "thrilled beyond words" for his son.

"Still, in the back of my head I worry about him getting home safely," Buddy Shadid said. "You think you'd get used to it, but you don't."

The awards are given by Columbia University on the recommendation of the 18-member Pulitzer board, which considers nominations from jurors in each category. They are one of the most prestigious honors in journalism.

Each Pulitzer prize is worth $10,000, except for public service, which is recognized with a gold medal.

Anthony Shadid is expected to return to the United States this month, his father said. He lives in Washington with his wife and their 2-year-old daughter.