Bettina Boxall (born 1952) is an American
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
who covered
water issues and the
environment for the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. She is a recipient of a
Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
The Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting has been presented since 1998, for a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear p ...
.
She graduated in 1974, with
honors
Honour (or honor in American English) is the quality of being honorable.
Honor or Honour may also refer to:
People
* Honor (given name), a unisex given name
* Brian Honour (born 1964), English footballer and manager
* Gareth Honor (born 1979 ...
, from the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...
in
Orono.
Boxall retired from the ''Times'' on May 3, 2022, after 34 years at the paper.
Boxall, who is openly
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
, has written about
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
issues and joined in
panel discussion
A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a ...
s about the role of
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
journalists and writing about the issues that involve the LGBT community.
Background and education
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
''The Maine Campus'' is a weekly newspaper produced by the students of the University of Maine in the United States. It covers university and Town of Orono, Maine, Orono events, and has four sections: News, Opinion, Culture and Sports. It serves t ...
'' 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
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
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
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in journalism from the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...
.
Career
Boxall began her journalistic career, (1976-1977) as a staff
photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographers
As in other ...
and writer at the ''
San Marcos Daily Record
The ''San Marcos Daily Record'' is five-day daily newspaper published in San Marcos, Texas, in the morning on weekdays (Tuesday through Friday), and Sunday. It is owned by Moser Community Media, LLC.
The ''Record'' absorbed the ''Hays County Citiz ...
'' – a small daily paper in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
and the ''
Bennington Banner,'' (1978-1982) in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
and a small newspaper in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.
On environmental issues
Boxall began working at ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' in 1987 covering environmental and
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
s, focusing on fire and water issues.
In 2009, Boxall and her colleague, Julie Cart, won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting (see Awards below).
Her work dovetails with her personal efforts, to conserve resources, and her views on the environmental issues she reports on. In one 2014 interview, she talked about the pride she has in conserving water saying:
In a 2016 interview, she spoke about the issues in the community of
Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...
, and how
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
needs to step up to prevent
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
s, saying "This area has burned over and over again and maybe we shouldn't have
ousesthere."
On civil rights and equality
In the 1990s, Boxall gained recognition for her work as she began covering
gay rights and
AIDS in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, at the time "gay marriage and other issues were bubbling to the surface, signaling profound social shifts."
In 2013, Boxall, who is openly
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
, joined a panel of openly gay and lesbian journalists in a discussion of "Out in the Newsroom: A look at LGBT coverage and careers in journalism."
In 2019, she participated in another panel discussion, hosted by the
Los Angeles LGBT Center
The Los Angeles LGBT Center (previously known as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center) is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, soc ...
titled "Breaking News, Breaking Barriers," focusing on the coverage of, and representation of LGBT people beginning in the 1960s.
In 2020, Boxall was among six journalists to sue the ''Los Angeles Times'' over pay disparities due to
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
and
gender bias
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primari ...
.
The civil suit was settled after numerous staffers, both current and former employees, joined in a writing campaign; social media protested the disparate treatment as black journalists called out the ''Times'' using the hashtag #BlackatLAT.
Awards
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.
During their investigation, they examined
US Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
records obtained by using the
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request:
* Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act
* ...
, and traveled to Australia, investigating the country's different firefighting activities.
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."
The series of stories are listed below.
* "Big Burn: Out of control?" ''Los Angeles Times'', Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart, July 27, 2008.
* "Big Burn: Just for show?" ''Los Angeles Times'', Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart, July 29, 2008.
* "A politician gets his way," ''Los Angeles Times'', Julie Cart, July 29, 2008.
* "Big Burn: In harms way," ''Los Angeles Times'', Bettina Boxall, July 31, 2008.
* "Big Burn: Small trees, large threat," ''Los Angeles Times'', Bettina Boxall, July 31, 2008.
* "Big Burn:Beige plague," ''Los Angeles Times'', Bettina Boxall, August 2, 2008.
* "Big Burn: On their own," ''Los Angeles Times'', Julie Cart, August 3, 2008.
In 2009 Boxall was given
Northern Arizona University's, Robert R. Eunson Distinguished Lecturer Award.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boxall, Bettina
1952 births
Living people
University of Maine alumni
Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism winners
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
American women journalists