AP Wins Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography

MIAMI (AP) – Alan Diaz had been preparing for his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph long before he heard the footsteps of federalagents running toward the house where Elian Gonzalez slept.

For months, the photojournalist had been talking to the Cuban boy's family and getting to know the house and its surroundings. Now, in the pre-dawn darkness last April 22, that preparation was about to pay off.

"It's going down," Diaz yelled as he grabbed his camera, which he'd placed beneath a towel to protect it from the early morning dew. He jumped the fence into the side yard of the Gonzalez family's Little Havana home, paused to set his shutter speed and strobe light and then ran through a door a family member had opened.

"Where's the boy?" he yelled in Spanish, as Elian's frantic relatives scurried around the living room. A man pushed Diaz toward the boy's bedroom, where he threw on the light. Elian wasn't there.

He pounded on the bedroom door across the hall, which Elian's aunt opened. Diaz could see 6-year-old Elian being held in the closet by Donato Dalrymple, who'd helped pull the boy from the Atlantic Ocean five months earlier.

Inside the room, Diaz took the photograph of a federal agent with an assault rifle confronting a screaming Elian and a stunned Dalrymple.

That photo won Diaz, 53, the Pulitzer for best spot news photograph of 2000. He will receive $7,500. It is the AP's 47th Pulitzer –19 for writing and 28 for photographs.

"It's awesome, I can't believe it," Diaz said Monday as he was mobbed by co-workers.

"It's a great picture, just a great picture, and we're very pleased for Alan that he won," AP President Louis Boccardi said.

"It's an amazing job by an amazing, talented photographer," said Vin Alabiso, an AP vice president and the executive photo editor.

Diaz, then a free-lance photographer, had been hired by The AP on Nov. 30, 1999, to take daily pictures of Elian. His mother and 13 other Cubans had tried to flee across the Florida Straits, but their boat sank.

Elian had been lashed to an innertube and was rescued when Dalrymple and his cousin found him while fishing two miles off Fort Lauderdale. Two adults who'd used another innertube washed ashore near Miami, but Elian's mother and the others died.

Diaz said Monday that Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez was not enthusiastic when the photographer first arrived at the house. But Diaz, whose parents are from Cuba, struck up a conversation with Lazaro across the fence.

"We talked about everything –politics, coffee, sports, women –until he was comfortable with me," Diaz said.

Diaz, who spent at least 16 hours daily covering Elian, said that in the first days he was often the only still photographer at the house. He would take pictures of the boy going to school and playing in the yard and the demonstrations that occasionally happened outside.

By April, the tension surrounding Elian was high. The Clinton administration was demanding that Elian be turned over so he could return to Cuba with his father, but the Miami relatives were balking. Four days before the raid, Diaz decided he would not leave the house until the case was resolved.

At 5:15 a.m. that Saturday, the streets surrounding the Gonzalez home were quiet as most of the family's supporters had gone home. Diaz had thought about taking a nap, but he couldn't sleep. For months he had thought about what he would do if agents raided the house – how he would try to get inside and where he would shoot from if he couldn't.

Since the photo, Diaz's life has changed dramatically. A free-lancer for 12 years, The AP hired him for a full-time position last June. He has won many awards and been sought after for interviews by other journalists.

"Everything turned around on me," the self-effacing Diaz said. "I don't mean that in a bad sense of the word, but now everybody wanted to hear from me.

"I'm not used to that."

On the Net:

Pulitzer Prizes: http://www.pulitzer.org



Months of preparation got Miami photographer winning shot By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/ Alan Diaz
MIAMI (AP) – Alan Diaz had been preparing for his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph long before he heard the footsteps of federalagents running toward the house where Elian Gonzalez slept. For months, the photojournalist had been talking to the Cuban boy's family and getting to know the house and its surroundings. Now, in the pre-dawn darkness last April 22, that preparation was about to pay off. "It's going down," Diaz yelled as he grabbed his camera, which he'd placed beneath a towel to protect it from the early morning dew. He jumped the fence into the side yard of the Gonzalez family's Little Havana home, paused to set his shutter speed and strobe light and then ran through a door a family member had opened. "Where's the boy?" he yelled in Spanish, as Elian's frantic relatives scurried around the living room. A man pushed Diaz toward the boy's bedroom, where he threw on the light. Elian wasn't there. He pounded on the bedroom door across the hall, which Elian's aunt opened. Diaz could see 6-year-old Elian being held in the closet by Donato Dalrymple, who'd helped pull the boy from the Atlantic Ocean five months earlier. Inside the room, Diaz took the photograph of a federal agent with an assault rifle confronting a screaming Elian and a stunned Dalrymple. That photo won Diaz, 53, the Pulitzer for best spot news photograph of 2000. He will receive $7,500. It is the AP's 47th Pulitzer –19 for writing and 28 for photographs. "It's awesome, I can't believe it," Diaz said Monday as he was mobbed by co-workers. "It's a great picture, just a great picture, and we're very pleased for Alan that he won," AP President Louis Boccardi said. "It's an amazing job by an amazing, talented photographer," said Vin Alabiso, an AP vice president and the executive photo editor. Diaz, then a free-lance photographer, had been hired by The AP on Nov. 30, 1999, to take daily pictures of Elian. His mother and 13 other Cubans had tried to flee across the Florida Straits, but their boat sank. Elian had been lashed to an innertube and was rescued when Dalrymple and his cousin found him while fishing two miles off Fort Lauderdale. Two adults who'd used another innertube washed ashore near Miami, but Elian's mother and the others died. Diaz said Monday that Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez was not enthusiastic when the photographer first arrived at the house. But Diaz, whose parents are from Cuba, struck up a conversation with Lazaro across the fence. "We talked about everything –politics, coffee, sports, women –until he was comfortable with me," Diaz said. Diaz, who spent at least 16 hours daily covering Elian, said that in the first days he was often the only still photographer at the house. He would take pictures of the boy going to school and playing in the yard and the demonstrations that occasionally happened outside. By April, the tension surrounding Elian was high. The Clinton administration was demanding that Elian be turned over so he could return to Cuba with his father, but the Miami relatives were balking. Four days before the raid, Diaz decided he would not leave the house until the case was resolved. At 5:15 a.m. that Saturday, the streets surrounding the Gonzalez home were quiet as most of the family's supporters had gone home. Diaz had thought about taking a nap, but he couldn't sleep. For months he had thought about what he would do if agents raided the house – how he would try to get inside and where he would shoot from if he couldn't. Since the photo, Diaz's life has changed dramatically. A free-lancer for 12 years, The AP hired him for a full-time position last June. He has won many awards and been sought after for interviews by other journalists. "Everything turned around on me," the self-effacing Diaz said. "I don't mean that in a bad sense of the word, but now everybody wanted to hear from me. "I'm not used to that." On the Net: Pulitzer Prizes: http://www.pulitzer.org
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