A Pulitzer for the Enquirer? Why not?

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By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Excuse me. May I have your attention, please? Everyone please rise, place hand over heart and lift your eyes toward the heavens for a moment of thoughtful meditation.

You see, I'm about to talk about the Pulitzer Prize.

I'm kidding -- mostly.

My tongue-in-cheek commentary comes amid a furious debate enveloping the media industry. Should the National Enquirer be eligible to win a Pulitzer? And it's one thing to be considered, but should the Enquirer actually win one of the awards?

Five years ago, the answer to this question would have been the shortest column in history. One word, actually. I'd only have had to write a resounding No! and move on.

But times change. Even the New York Times /quotes/comstock/13*!nyt/quotes/nls/nyt (NYT 8.71, -0.28, -3.11%) , a newspaper almost synonymous with the Pulitzer, published a story on March 7 that carried the man-bites-dog headline: "The National Enquirer Earns Some Respect." Read the NY Times story.

That's right. Credibility has come to the organization known more for publishing stories that might reveal sightings of Elvis Presley squeezing the Charmin at the local Safeway rather than hard-hitting journalism.

The reason for this discussion in the first place is that the Enquirer is in the running for a Pulitzer for its dogged and influential coverage of John Edwards, when he was a dashing candidate for president of the United States. The Enquirer is getting consideration for leading the media -- yes, the mainstream folks, too -- to pursue the Edwards story and not stopping after he denied having an affair with an aide and fathering her child.

The Enquirer would be in good company. Among the 2009 winners, the Las Vegas Sun was cited for reporting on the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip, and the New York Times for breaking news reporting for the coverage of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's sex scandal.

So sex really does sell, even when it comes to the Pulitzers.

The Pulitzer Prizes will be awarded on April 12. Read about past winners.

The best of journalism

Please understand that in no way am I mocking the Pulitzer Prize. God knows, I'd kill to win one -- any journalist would.

The winners of these awards continue to represent the best of American journalism. The recipients' authoritativeness, skill and determination shine through every time.