Working for California

“I try to tell the story of the courts by focusing on people and humanizing the criminal justice system,” said Stuart Pfeifer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.

One story that Pfeifer is particularly proud of focuses on an innocent man who found himself convicted of murder. Pfeifer began investigating the case of Dwayne McKinney in 1999. What he discovered were witnesses who recanted and two others who confessed to the crime.

Five years ago, after 19 years in prison, McKinney walked out—a free man, thanks, in no small part, to Pfeifer’s investigation. And the two still keep in touch to this day.

“When you know you played a part in freeing an innocent man from prison, well, that is an absolutely great feeling,” Pfeifer said.

Of course, the McKinney story is merely one in a series of high-profile stories that Pfeifer has written while at the Times and, prior to that, at the Orange County Register. As part of a team of reporters at the Los Angeles Times, he shared in the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the Southern California fires that erupted in 2004.

“We had a great team working on these stories,” he said. “Again, I was looking for the humanizing elements of the stories I wrote. How did the fire affect those who lost their homes? What is it like driving through a road with flames on either side? A couple that I interviewed had lost their home to fire in the ’70s. They rebuilt it and now they were about to lose it again.”

Pfeifer got his start in news at Cal State Fullerton. A communications major with an emphasis in journalism, Pfeifer served as city and managing editor, then editor-in-chief for the student newspaper, Daily Titan. He wrote and helped edit the publication from 1984 until his graduation in 1987.

“The education I received at Cal State Fullerton was absolutely great,” he said. “I was always very busy working on the Daily Titan. I learned a great deal about investigative reporting from instructor Gary Granville, and our Daily Titan adviser, Jay Berman, really taught us how to become journalists.

“I remember Jay would pull out the previous day’s edition of the Daily Titan and tell us everything we had done wrong,” he laughed. “But as embarrassing as it was, he really prepared us. He demonstrated how important it is to write a story accurately and clearly. He wouldn’t tolerate sloppy work and I think that made us all better journalists.”

Today, Pfeifer is often invited to speak before journalism classes at a number of universities, including his alma mater.

“Stuart is one of many College of Communications’ graduates who have been recognized for outstanding contributions in their profession,” said Rick Pullen, dean of the College of Communications. “Stuart is an outstanding reporter who is always willing to interact with students to help them become better writers and reporters.”

“I think what I most enjoy about the work is investigative reporting and helping the public understand how the court and criminal justice systems work,” Pfeifer said. “I really have a passion for the justice system. “

When I talk to students, I advise them to find an area that they are passionate about—then go out and do the best job possible covering that field.”