The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting is awarded each year since 1998 for a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news. List of winners:

• 1998: The Los Angeles Times staff, for its coverage of a botched bank robbery, which led to a shootout with the police in North Hollywood.
• 1999: The Hartford Courant staff, for its coverage of a shooting spree by a state lottery worker, which left four dead.
• 2000: The Denver Post staff, for its coverage of the massacre at the Columbine High School.
• 2001: The Miami Herald staff, for its coverage of the seizure of Elián González by federal agents.
• 2002: The Wall Street Journal staff, for its coverage of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
• 2003: The Eagle-Tribune staff, for its stories on the accidental drowning of four boys in the Merrimack River.
• 2004: Staff of the Los Angeles Times, for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of the massive wildfires that imperiled a populated region of southern California.