Meet John Branch
(Busâ89, MJourâ96) âąÌęSportswriter âąÌęPulitzer Prize Winner
John Branch isnât your average sports writer. Heâs written front page stories forÌęThe New York TimesÌęthat reveal how groundskeepers for Major League Baseball stadiumsÌęÌęinto the grass, examine theÌęÌęof pioneering BASE jumpers andÌęÌęof the field-sized flags that fly at major sporting events.
In 2013, Branch won a Pulitzer Prizeâthe most prestigious award in journalismâfor his article â,â a pioneering effort in multimedia journalism, which tells the story of a deadly avalanche in the backcountry of a Washington ski resort. âEvery day Iâm amazed that I get paid to do what I do,â he says of his job.
Branch has accomplished a great deal in sports writing, especially for someone who began his career as a business reporter. Two years into his first job at The Colorado Springs Gazette, one of the paperâs sportswriters died suddenly⊠âyeah, Iâll go try that.â ââ
âI have license and liberty to go where most people arenât welcome.â
-John Branch
Even now, being open to unexpected ideas is key, as Branch seeks story ideas in unusual places. âSometimes I just step back away from the press box and ask, âwhy is this happening this way?âââ He even gets some story ideas from questions his kids ask. Whatever story he pursues, he focuses on the human elementâa tactic that led him to refine âSnowfallâ from a broad article on avalanches into a detailed story about a single slide and the group of skiers it swallowed.
Branch believes such flexibility and focus are crucial in journalism, especially for young journalists. âWe have no idea what this journalism world will look like in 10 years, so you need to be open-minded,â he explains. The role of CMCIâs journalism department âis to open as many doors as possible. And itâs the studentâs role to walk through those doors.â