Pulitzer winner to speak at State

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BROOKINGS – Kimbriell Kelly, who was part of The Washington Post’s 2016, Pulitzer Prize winning team, will deliver “Path to Pulitzer: A Washington Post Investigation into Police Misconduct,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the South Dakota Art Museum’s auditorium.

A reporter, Kelly works in the Post’s Investigative Unit, which won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for documenting the number of fatal officer-involved shootings. Her on-campus talk is in conjunction with the Women in Media Conference that day at the Holiday Inn-City Centre in Sioux Falls. Kelly is the conference’s keynote speaker. Approximately 60 women in media from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have registered to attend.

When Kelly initially learned of the Pulitzer, she was in disbelief. However, she was not at work at the time.

“I was on my honeymoon and got a text from my colleague saying we won. I thought he was joking. When I realized he wasn’t, I was excited and my husband and I told everyone at the pool,” she said. “A couple of days later, while still away, we watched the ceremony live from my cellphone.”

Her days at The Washington Post do not always involve writing prize-winning articles.

“A normal day typically involves a lot of research, which I love,” Kelly said. “I spend a lot of time analyzing databases, sending out public records requests and poring over lots of documents. I actually think it’s fun, especially when I get to play in databases. I put on my headphones and play a bunch of empowering music.”

That analysis is part of her constant pursuit to learn something, a feeling she wants her audiences to have, too.

“I like when people walk away having learned something new, whether that’s for their personal or professional life. So that’s what I’d want for this event and the conference,” Kelly said. “For reporters, I also want them to walk away with a sense that it doesn’t matter the size of your publication, that you can do great work anywhere.”

“Figure out what you’re passionate about, and report about that,” Kelly said when asked about what insight she would provide students aspiring to be journalists.

“For me, I’ve always been interested in government accountability, particularly on issues around criminal justice, housing and race. When you’re passionate about what you’re reporting on, you can’t wait to get into work every day. You don’t mind staying late. You don’t mind burning a few hours on the weekend to get the story done because you feel like you’re led by a sense of passion and purpose.”