David Barstow, who graduated from Medill in 1986, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for investigative reporting.

Barstow won the prize for his work on the New York Times piece “Message Machine – Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand,” published in April 2008.

As a reporter in the paper’s investigative unit, Barstow said he worked for a total of two years on his prize-winning story, which revealed that retired United States generals were being paid by the Pentagon and defense companies to make the case for the war in Iraq and other diplomatic actions.

Barstow said the story took “every last ounce of effort and energy and willpower to pull off.”

“There were days when I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into, taking on the Pentagon and the White House and a whole bunch of retired war heroes and a whole bunch of defense contractors and all the major networks as well,” he said.

Medill Professor Emeritus Roger Boye said he remembers Barstow as a student in his news writing class.

“He was an engaged student,” Boye said. “Inquisitive and asked a lot of questions without being overbearing.”

Even as a sophomore, Barstow’s “excellent” news judgment was apparent, Boye said.

“He had all the makings of someone who wanted to succeed in journalism,” he said. “This speaks to the enduring relevance of an education in journalistic basics …”

Barstow said his time at Medill helped prepare him for work as an investigative reporter, especially a class on journalism law and ethics taught by Medill Professor David Protess.

“Protess was the professor who had the biggest influence on me,” Barstow said. “He helped me to understand how routinely you run into legal and ethical questions and how important it is to sift through them and to approach them with a philosophy of integrity, transparency and openness.”

Protess said Barstow was one of his “all-time favorite students.”

Protess said he looks forward to congratulating Barstow personally on Tuesday. Barstow is one of three former students Protess said he had around that time who has gone on to win a Pultizer for investigative work.

“It is important to communicate to students that journalism is more than just a trade. Our profession is there to play watchdog role in society, hold authorities accountable and to disclose wrongdoing in high places,” he said. “It’s the belief that the most noble thing a journalist can do is uncover truth