MISSOULA –

A University of Montana graduate and former journalism professor is part of the team at The Seattle Times that won a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism.

Jerry Holloron served as desk editor for the Times' "Methadone and the Politics of Pain," a three-part series about Washington state's practice of prescribing the pain drug for people on state-subsidized health care.

"Editing the series was a snap since Ken (Armstrong) and Mike (Berens) are such meticulous reporters and fine writers," Holloron said. "These are tough days for newspapers, and it’s nice to work for a family-owned operation that remains committed to gutsy investigative reporting."

Holloron joined the UM School of Journalism faculty in 1974 and quickly became one of its most highly regarded teachers. He received national teaching awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Poynter Institute. Before he taught at UM, he worked as chief of the Lee Newspapers State Bureau in Helena and as city editor of the Missoulian.

Holloron left UM in 1991 to return to newspapers full time, working on the copy desk of the Tacoma News-Tribune before joining The Seattle Times in 1999. He retired from the Times in 2008 but continues on-call editing work for the paper.

Widely known in Montana as an expert on state and local government, Holloron also worked as an assistant director and local government research analyst of the Montana Constitutional Convention Commission and as research director of the Montana Legislative Council.

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Western Montana

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