Sig Gissler is an American former professor of journalism at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and the former administrator of the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

Biography

Sig Gissler was born in Chicago. He is a graduate of

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducatio ...

and completed graduate work in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. After writing for the ''Libertyville Independent-Register'' and serving as executive editor of the '' Waukegan News-Sun'', he joined ''

The Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the ...

'' in 1967. Following a Knight Fellowship at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1976, he became editorial page editor of the ''Journal''; in 1985, he was appointed editor of the newspaper. During his tenure, the ''Journal'' assembled a more diverse staff and completed a year-long examination of racial issues in 1991. After his nominal retirement in 1993, he taught at Stanford and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Universities as a visiting professor. In 1994, he joined the full-time faculty of the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...

, where he served as a senior fellow at the now-defunct Freedom Forum Media Studies Center; spearheaded a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

-sponsored workshop on journalism, race and ethnicity ("Let's Do It Better"); and taught seminars on new media and the coverage of racial and ethnic issues in urban America in addition to the Journalism School's introductory reporting and writing course. In 2002, he received the Columbia University Presidential Teaching Award. From 2002 to 2014, he served as the administrator of the

Pulitzer Prizes The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

while remaining a special faculty member at the Graduate School of Journalism. As administrator, he declined to revoke the controversial Pulitzer Prize awarded to Walter Duranty. In a press release of 21 November 2003, he stated that with regard to the 13 articles by Duranty from 1931 submitted for the award "there was not clear and convincing evidence of deliberate deception, the relevant standard in this case."

References

Living people Lake Forest College alumni Educators from Chicago Stanford University faculty Columbia University faculty Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism faculty Journalists from Illinois Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-bio-stub