Eric Eyre (born c. 1965) is an American journalist and investigative reporter, best known for winning the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting for exposing the opioid crisis in West Virginia. He was a statehouse reporter for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He resigned his position in April 2020.[1] He is also the author of the book, Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic.
Career
Eyre graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans. He earned his master's degree in Mass Communication at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. During his time at the university, Eyre worked as an intern at the St. Petersburg Times. Eyre has reported for The Anniston Star of Alabama, the Daily Times-Advocate of California, and the Pottstown Mercury of Pennsylvania.
In 1998 Eyre began covering education, health, and business at the Charleston Gazette, now the Charleston Gazette-Mail. [2] The Gazette-Mail is a daily morning newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia with a daily print circulation of around 37,000.[3] Eyre worked at the Gazette-Mail until 2020, where he balanced his work as a full-time statehouse reporter and his pursuit of investigative projects spotlighting issues in the rural communities of West Virginia.[2][4][5]
He also formerly worked at Mountain State Spotlight, where he was a co-founder and senior investigative reporter. [6]
Awards and recognition
Eyre's work has received national recognition on several occasions. He has been the recipient of the following:
Published works
Much of Eyre's work has been published through the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Some of his most notable published works include:
- “Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic" (2020)
- “Painkiller Profiteers” (2016)
- “The Meth Menace” (2013)
- “Wired for Waste” (2012)
- “The Well Connected” (2012)
- “Grants, Graft and Greed at Workforce West Virginia” (2009)
- “State of Decay: West Virginia's Oral Health Crisis” (2007)
- “Web of Deceit: The Fall of West Virginia House Education Committee Chairman Jerry Mezzatesta” (2004)
- “Taken for a Ride” (2003)
- “The Long Haul and Broken Promises” (2002)
- “License to Steal” (2002)
References
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(2015–2019) |
- 2015: Mike Hendricks, Mará Rose Williams
- 2016: Steve Mistler, Whit Richardson
- 2017:
- 2018: Hal Dardick, Jason Grotto, Sandhya Kambhampati
- 2019: Cary Aspinwall, Holly K. Hacker, Allan James Vestal
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(2020–2022) |
- 2020: Doris Burke, Deborah Douglas, Maya Miller, Beena Raghavendran, Wendi C. Thomas
- 2021: Shana Daloria, Aaron Mendelson, Priska Neely, Rina Palta, Chava Sanchez
- 2022: Angela Couloumbis, Joseph DiStefano, Craig McCoy
- 2023: Adam Elmahrek, Kiera Feldman, Marisa Gerber, Robert J. Lopez, Paige St. John, Brian van der Brug, Ruben Vives
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Gerald Loeb Award for Small Newspapers (1974–1983, 1985–2008) |
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(1974–1979) |
- 1974: Livingston Taylor
- 1975: Tom Miller
- 1976: David R. Francis
- 1977 (tie): Sally Jones, Rosemary Shinohara
- 1977 (tie): Larry Kramer
- 1978: Harold Chucker
- 1979: Philip Moeller
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(1980–1989) |
- 1980: Joe R. Cordero, Tim W. Ferguson
- 1981: Gary M. Hector
- 1982: Phil Norman
- 1982 (HM) Staff of the Sentinel Star
- 1982 (HM): Scott Abrahams, Alex Beasley, Sharon Carrasco, Jim Clark, Keay Davidson, John C. Van Gieson, Anne Groer, Noel Holston, Charlie Jean, Dean Johnson, Robert Johnson, Larry Lipman, Susan Taylor Martin, Jim Nesbitt, Jim Runnels, Thomas Sabulis, Wendy Spirduso
- 1983: Phillip L. Zweig
- 1984: no award
- 1985: Beth McLeo, Lawrence Spohn, Stan Swofford, Greta Tilley
- 1986: Mark L. Zusman
- 1986 (HM): Jan Brogan
- 1987: Brent Walth
- 1988: Paul Farhi
- 1988 (HM): Julie Bird
- 1989: Howard Gold
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(1990–1999) |
- 1990: Gary Belsky, Phyllis Furman
- 1991: Phyllis Furman, Linda Moss
- 1992: M. Rex Smith, Emory Thomas Jr.
- 1993: Michael Hinkelman, Emory Thomas Jr.
- 1994: Lance Williams
- 1995: Jim Lynch, Karen Dorn Steele
- 1996: Kim Fararo
- 1997: Lynda V. Mapes
- 1998: Amy Baldwin, Amy Hetzner
- 1999: Bill Heisel Jr., Jennifer Hieger
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(2000–2008) |
- 2000: Harris Meyer
- 2001: Bruce Rushton
- 2002: Janet Patton
- 2003: , Scott Finn
- 2004: Kate Long
- 2005: Craig Troianello
- 2006: Christina Gostomski
- 2007: Michelle Breidenbach, Mike McAndrew
- 2008: Tony Bartelme
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Gerald Loeb Award for Medium Newspapers (1987–2008) |
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(1987–1989) | |
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(1990–1999) |
- 1990: Andy Hall, Jerry Kammer
- 1991: Bill Dalton, Mike Hendricks, Chris Lester
- 1992: John Fauber, Jack Norman
- 1993: Pete Carey, Lewis M. Simons
- 1994: Larry Keller, Fred Schulte
- 1995: Susan Finch, Mike Hughlett, Peter Nicholas, James O'Byrne, Mark Schleifstein
- 1996: Bruce Locklin, Michael Moore, Debra Lynn Vial
- 1997: Liz Pulliam, Elliot Blair Smith, Cathy Taylor
- 1998: Larry Arnold, William Conroy, Rick Linsk, Nancy Shields, Terri Somers, John T. Ward
- 1999: Jenni Bergal, Fred Schulte
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(2000–2008) |
- 2000: Janet L. Fix, Jeffrey Taylor, Alison Young
- 2001: Ramsey Campbell, Sean Holton, Jim Leusner, Robert Sargent
- 2002: Pamela Coyle, Ronette King, Jeffrey Meitrodt, Mark Schleifstein
- 2003: Jeff Harrington, Deborah O'Neil
- 2004: Fred Schulte
- 2005: Jeff Plungis, Bill Vlasic
- 2006: Joshua Boak, Jim Drew, Steve Eder, Christopher Kirkpatrick, Mike Wilkinson
- 2006 (HM): David Heath, Luke Timmerman
- 2007: Gady A. Epstein, Stephanie Desmon, Chiaki Kawajiri
- 2008: Binyamin Appelbaum, Liz Chandler, Ted Mellnik, Lisa Hammersly Munn, Peter St. Onge
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Gerald Loeb Award for Medium & Small Newspapers (2009–2012) |
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(2009) |
- 2009: Rob Barry, Jack Dolan, Matthew Haggman
- 2009 (HM): Ames Alexander, Kerry Hall, Ted Mellnik, Peter St. Onge, Franco Ordoñez
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(2010–2012) | |
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Small & Medium Newspapers (2013–2014) |
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(2013–2014) |
- 2013 (tie): Ames Alexander, Karen Garloch, Joseph Neff, David Raynor
- 2013 (tie): Mandy Locke, David Raynor
- 2014: John Fauber, Ellen Gabler, Mark Johnson, Allan James Vestal, Kristyna Wentz-Graff
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Previously the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, No Edition Time from 1953–1963 and the Pulitzer Prize for Local Investigative Specialized Reporting from 1964–1984 |
1953–1975 | | |
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1976–2000 |
- Chicago Tribune (1976)
- Acel Moore & Wendell Rawls Jr. (1977)
- Anthony R. Dolan (1978)
- Gilbert M. Gaul & Elliot G. Jaspin (1979)
- Stephen Kurkjian, Alexander B. Hawes Jr., Nils Bruzelius, Joan Vennochi & Robert M. Porterfield (1980)
- Clark Hallas & Robert B. Lowe (1981)
- Paul Henderson (1982)
- Loretta Tofani (1983)
- Kenneth Cooper, Joan Fitz Gerald, Jonathan Kaufman, Norman Lockman, Gary McMillan, Kirk Scharfenberg & David Wessel (1984)
- Lucy Morgan, Jack Reed & William K. Marimow (1985)
- Jeffrey A. Marx & Michael M. York (1986)
- Daniel R. Biddle, H.G. Bissinger, Fredric N. Tulsky & John Woestendiek (1987)
- Dean Baquet, William C. Gaines & Ann Marie Lipinski (19)
- Bill Dedman (1989)
- Lou Kilzer (1990)
- Joseph T. Hallinan & Susan M. Headden (1991)
- Lorraine Adams & Dan Malone (1992)
- Jeff Brazil & Steve Berry (1993)
- Providence Journal-Bulletin (1994)
- Stephanie Saul & Brian Donovan (1995)
- The Orange County Register (1996)
- Eric Nalder, Deborah Nelson & Alex Tizon (1997)
- Gary Cohn & Will Englund (1998)
- Miami Herald (1999)
- Sang-Hun Choe, Charles J. Hanley & Martha Mendoza (2000)
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2001–2025 |
- David Willman (2001)
- Sari Horwitz, Scott Higham & Sarah Cohen (2002)
- Clifford J. Levy (2003)
- Michael D. Sallah, Joe Mahr & Mitch Weiss (2004)
- Nigel Jaquiss (2005)
- Susan Schmidt, James V. Grimaldi & R. Jeffrey Smith (2006)
- Brett Blackledge (2007)
- Walt Bogdanich, Jake Hooker & Chicago Tribune (2008)
- David Barstow (2009)
- Barbara Laker, Wendy Ruderman & Sheri Fink (2010)
- Paige St. John (2011)
- Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eileen Sullivan, Chris Hawley, Michael J. Berens & Ken Armstrong (2012)
- David Barstow & Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab (2013)
- Chris Hamby (2014)
- Eric Lipton & The Wall Street Journal (2015)
- Leonora LaPeter Anton, Anthony Cormier, Michael Braga & Esther Htusan (2016)
- (2017)
- The Washington Post (2018)
- Matt Hamilton, Harriet Ryan & Paul Pringle (2019)
- Brian Rosenthal (2020)
- Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen & Brendan McCarthy (2021)
- Corey G. Johnson, Rebecca Woolington & Eli Murray (2022)
- Staff of The Wall Street Journal (2023)
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