The New York Times captured four awards for reporting on a harrowing avalanche, the rise of a new aristocracy in China and the business practices of Apple and Wal-Mart.

Cheers erupted in The Denver Post’s newsroom when word came that the newspaper had won the Pulitzer in the breaking news category for its coverage – via text, social media and video – of the shooting that killed 12 people during a midnight showing of a new Batman movie last summer.

The honor was bittersweet for some, and people teared up and shared hugs.

“We are part of this community. The tragedy touches us, but we have a job to do,” said Kevin Dale, the Post’s news director. He added: “It’s great to win the prize, but we’d rather win for a different story.”

The Associated Press received the award in breaking news photography for its coverage of the civil war in Syria.

In awards that reflected the rapidly changing media world, the online publication InsideClimate News won the Pulitzer for national reporting for stories about problems in the regulation of the nation’s oil pipelines.

The Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received the public-service award for an investigation of off-duty police officers’ reckless driving, and longtime Pulitzer powerhouses The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post were recognized for commentary and criticism, respectively.

The Star-Tribune of Minneapolis captured two awards, for local reporting and editorial cartooning.

The Pulitzers, journalism’s highest honor, are given each year by Columbia University on the recommendation of a board of journalists and others. Each award carries a $10,000 prize except for the public-service award, which is a gold medal.

After years in which journalism has been buffeted by technological change and financial problems, this year’s awards are a reminder of “how important it is to aim high” and a signal that both new and established players are doing so, said Jacqui Banaszynski, a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism.