It is the season for awards in the U.S., a country that takes great relish in judging performances and dispensing accolades. As the spring progresses, the trophy cases fill: Oscars, Obies, Tonys. Journalism is hardly immune to the desire to judge and be judged. Thus last week came the Pulitzer Prizes and two major groups of honors for which magazines compete: the National Magazine Awards and the Overseas Press Club Awards.
It proved a rewarding week for TIME. The magazine won the prestigious award for general excellence among publications with a circulation of more than 1 million. The prize, a stabile...