There are unofficial, and more to the point unconfirmed, lists of Pulitzer Prize finalists floating around the newsrooms at both the L.A. Times and New York Times. Both papers have good sources in the Pulitzer hierarchy (LAT editor John Carroll used to be head of the board, if I recall correctly), but you never know the accuracy of these early lists. The prizes aren't announced until April 5, and even if the lists accurately tally the finalists secretly chosen by "juries" of journalists, the actual winners have yet to be chosen by the Pulitzer board.

Still, if the LAT list is accurate, the local Times is in the running to have a good year. The Register and Copley News Service also appear. The informal list follows (Update: Romenesko has just posted links to a Washingtonian story on the list):

COMMENTARY
Cynthia Tucker, Atlanta
Nicholas Kristoff, NYTimes
Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald

CRITICISM
LATimes, Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic
Philadelphia Inquirer, Inga Saffron, architcture critic
LATimes, Dan Neil, auto critic

LOCAL BREAKING NEWS
Miami Herald, Columbia tragedy
LATimes, coverage of SoCal fires
Newsday, blackout

EDITORIAL
LATimes, Andy Malcolm
LATimes, Bill Stall
NYTimes, Andres Martinez

PUBLIC SERVICE
Seattle Times, Coaches Who Prey
Louisville Courier Journal, Justice Denied
Providence Journal, Nightclub Fire

EXPLANATORY
Wall Street Journal, Anuerysm, Kevin Helliker
Orange County Register, Hospital Costs
Baltimore Sun, Baby Who Died, Erika Niedowski

NATIONAL
LATimes, Wal Mart
Copley News Service (story unknown)
WSJ, Rationing of Health Care

BEAT REPORTING
WSJ, Daniel Golden, White Affirmative Action
Washington Post, Barton Gelman, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Boston Globe, Ellen Barry, Mental Health

INVESTIGATIVE
Washington Post, Nature Conservancy
Toledo Blade, Vietnam atrocities
NYTimes, Workplace safety

FEATURES
LATimes, Challenger Investigation, Robert Hotz
Wash Post, Inside Walter Reed, Ann Hull & Tamara Jones
Boston Globe, Barbara's Story, Patricia Wen

INTERNATIONAL
WSJ, Third World Hunger, Roger Thurow
Washington Post, Anthony Shadid, Iraq
LATimes, David Zucchino, Iraq

BREAKING PHOTOS
Associated Press, Iraq
Dallas Morning News, Iraq
Getty, Liberia

FEATURE PHOTOS
LATimes, Carolyn Cole, Liberia
San Jose Mercury, Recall
Reuters, Medic With Child

CARTOONS
Garry Trudeau
Steve Sack
Matt Davies