Bettina Boxall
Bettina Boxall (born 1952) is an American journalist who covered water issues and the environment for the Los Angeles Times. She is a recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.[1] She graduated in 1974, with honors, from the University of Maine in Orono.[2] Boxall retired from the Times on May 3, 2022, after 34 years at the paper.[3]
Bettina Boxall
1952
American
B.A., University of Maine
Journalist
1985–present
Boxall, who is openly gay, has written about civil rights issues and joined in panel discussions about the role of LGBT journalists and writing about the issues that involve the LGBT community.[4][5][6]
Background and education[edit]
When she was growing up, Boxall did not have a deep desire to become a reporter, but in high school she became editor of The Maine Campus which was why she chose journalism as her major in university. At that point, she developed an interest in photojournalism.
She also enjoyed her geology class with Professor Stephen Norton. It was some of that early study that laid the groundwork for her Pulitzer Prize. She explained, "on both the exams and field trips, he demanded that his students think rather than regurgitate information. The facts were just the foundation for critical thinking. That was a valuable lesson to learn as a journalist."
Boxall graduated, in 1974, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maine.[7][2]
Boxall received the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2009 with her colleague Julie Cart. The prize was for their 15-month investigation, leading up to the series of "Big Burn" stories, exploring the cost and effectiveness of fighting wildfires in the western United States.[16][17] During their investigation, they examined US Forest Service records obtained by using the Freedom of Information Act, and traveled to Australia, investigating the country's different firefighting activities.[18][19]
The Pulitzer board noted that the series was a "fresh and painstaking exploration into the cost and effectiveness of attempts to combat the growing menace of wildfires."[1] The series of stories are listed below.[20]
In 2009 Boxall was given Northern Arizona University's, Robert R. Eunson Distinguished Lecturer Award.[27]