Rick Attig is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 journalist, currently an associate editor and editorial writer for The Oregonian

The Oregonian

The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...

newspaper in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

. He was a 2008 Knight Fellow at Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

 and twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

.

Attig was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon

Corvallis, Oregon

Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....

. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

. Before he graduated, he was working as a journalist for the Springfield News in Springfield, Oregon

Springfield, Oregon

Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area...

. A year after graduation, in 1984, he went to The Bulletin

The Bulletin (Bend)

The Bulletin is the daily newspaper of Bend, Oregon, United States. The Bulletin is owned by Western Communications, a family-owned corporation founded by editor Robert W. Chandler. WesCom owns nine publications in Oregon and California.-History:...

daily newspaper in Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon

Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...

 where he held a number of positions including senior writer, editorial page editor, and, in 1995, executive editor. Since 1998, he has been the associate editor and member of the editorial board for The Oregonian in Portland. He has been recognized in his field with over 40 national, state, and regional awards. Attig was part of a team that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...

 for a series of articles and editorials about abuses in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. In 2006, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction...

, as well as the National Headliners 1st Place Award, and he was a finalist for the American Society of Newspaper Editors

American Society of Newspaper Editors

The American Society of News Editors is a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of media-related foundations and training organizations...

 Distinguished Writing Award for his editorial writing about abuse of the mentally ill at the Oregon State Hospital

Oregon State Hospital

Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, United States, is the primary state-run psychiatric hospital in the state of Oregon since Dammasch State Hospital closed in 1995. The facility is best known as the filming location for the Academy Award-winning film based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over...

. His wife, Courtenay Thompson, is also a writer. Attig has two sons, Mitchell, 21, and Will, 8.