Stieber won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for Specialized Reporting.[3] A freshman reporter who had only started at the Journal one year prior, she first reported that three doctors in New Mexico had noticed a link between their patients' rare blood disorders and their use of the dietary supplement L-tryptophan.[4] Both doctors and state officials were skeptical and resistant to cooperating with the reporting.[4] After Stieber's articles were published, over 300 cases of the potentially fatal disorder were discovered in 38 states, including the District of Columbia.[5] The FDA subsequently announced a nationwide class I recallofL-tryptophan.[6]
After winning the Pulitzer, Stieber received nominal promotions from the Albuquerque Journal but suffered from alleged "discrimination in salary, assignments, and opportunities for advancement."[7] Stieber filed a gender bias complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, then sued the Albuquerque Journal.[7]
The suit alleged that in May 1992, Stieber's pay was still $8,500 less than the average pay of three male investigative reporters, none of whom had won a Pulitzer Prize.[7] The Journal alleged that some of Stieber's stories were erroneously reported and that she was using company resources to sue the newspaper.[8] She resigned from the Albuquerque Journal in October 1994.[8]
