SABEW 2006 Best in Business contest award winners
Enterprise category
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Category: Enterprise - Giant newspapers
Carrie Teegardin and Ann Hardie of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Insurance injustice -- when credit matters” - Download electronic copy (Word format)
Judges Comments
“Insurance Injustice - When Credit Matters” by Carrie Teegardin and Ann Hardie
This entry not only told a story but should make every business editor in this country take notice and say - “Is this happening in my town?” These two reporters questioned something we take for granted and probably never question in life. It is modern day red lining at its best. This is truly a buyer beware story with excellent historical documentation and statistical material to back up their story. I would have liked to see more anecdotes. And being able to see the photos would have been a plus.
Louis Uchitelle of The New York Times: "Very rich are leaving the merely rich behind” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Very Rich Are Leaving the Merely Rich Behind” by Louis Uchitelle
Kudos to the New York Times and Louis Uchitelle for giving us an insightful and realistic look into what makes a growing number of professionals decide to leave their chosen professions for much more lucrative ones. Whether you agree or disagree with the reasoning, the author writes it in a way that stimulates further discussion. Mr. Uchitelle has a tremendous capacity to weave a story and get people to speak openly and frankly about such a delicate subject like personal financial compensation.
Tom Belden and Craig R.McCoy of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Baggage bungling” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“Philadelphia Baggage Story” by Tom Belden and Craig R. McCoy
Tom Belden and Craig R. McCoy give you an excellent description of what happens to luggage going from Philadelphia’s airport. Added to that you have excellent photos and graphics that depict the customer frustrations as well as a timeline of how US Airways was doing in relationship with their airline counterparts. It also explains how an airline going through bad financial times can have a massive trickle down effect to its customers. It makes a reader want to inquire further to see if conditions have changed in a year’s time.
Judges - Enterprise: Giant
Sandy Gonzalez - Bloomberg News
Bethany McLean - Fortune Magazine
P.J. Bednarski - Broadcasting & Cable Magazine
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Category: Enterprise - Large newspapers
Eric Gorksi of The Denver Post, “The Gospel of prosperity” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“The Gospel of Prosperity” by Eric Gorksi
This takes readers inside the empire of Heritage Christian Center, a church where welcoming sinners has created a lavish lifestyle for Bishop Dennis Leonard. The reporting is exhaustive, revealing conflicts such as sweetheart deals that diverted funds from low-income housing projects to the Bishop’s family. It’s a fascinating portrait of how mega-churches work as mega-businesses. And it’s written without hype, allowing the readers to draw their own conclusions.
Joe Rojas-Burke of The Oregonian, “Millions for rural health miss mark” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2
Judges Comments
“Millions for rural health miss mark” by Joe Rojas-Burke
This is terrific enterprise work. The Oregonian’s well-told tale shows how affluent doctors are getting millions in state funds that were meant to help small-town doctors pay their malpractice premiums. To make this tale even richer, the reporter’s search of real estate records showed how one plastic surgeon receiving the state subsidy lives in an 11,000-square-foot, 11-bedroom house.
Judges - Enterprise: Large
Alecia Swasy - Dow Jones Newswires
Mike Shepard - The Washington Post
Rick Green - Bloomberg News
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Category: Enterprise - Medium newspapers
Robert Elder of the Austin American-Statesman: “Pension fund scheme” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“Pension fund scheme” by Robert Elder
Tax schemes aren’t just for Wall Street high rollers. Sometimes a local pension plan gets into the act. Austin wasn’t afraid to wrestle with a complex topic and demonstrate that a local firefighter’s pension was ensnared in shady doings.
Binyamin Appelbaum of The Charlotte Observer: “Suspicious timing” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Suspicious Timing” by Binyamin Appelbaum
Figuring out whether any local companies backdated stock options is a daunting task, requiring exhaustive research through hundreds of documents. The Observer was up to the challenge, and actually identified a company that was soon forced to admit it had a problem. It was enterprise work at its finest.
Jeremiah McWilliams of The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.): “Life after Ford” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4
Judges Comments
“Life after Ford” by Jeremiah McWilliams
Hazelwood, Missouri learned a few years ago that its Ford assembly plant would be shut down, and Norfolk got the same message in early 2006. So The Virginian-Pilot’s Jeremiah McWilliams went to Hazelwood to see how its experiences could instruct Norfolk. In a deeply-reported story, he laid out the anguish that comes with a closing. But he also found workers who had used the shutdown to favorably remake their lives.
Judges - Enterprise: Medium
Jim Bishop - The Victoria Advocate
David Milstead - Rocky Mountain News
Carol Loomis - Fortune Magazine
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Category: Enterprise - Small newspapers
Brady McCombs of the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson): “Squeezing border business” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Squeezing Border Business” by Brady McCombs
The first in a sweeping series, McComb’s story dove into the searing national debate over illegal immigration. The story lucidly explained that the costs of attempting to seal the border would be vast, including billions for extra fencing, surveillance equipment and extra border guards. It explored cost overruns of past, more modest efforts. And the piece examined how vulnerable American businesses could be if the border were sealed. The story took on a difficult and emotional subject and brought it into the realm of dollars, cents, and sense.
Debbie Kelley of The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.): “Money Enthusiast group has troubles with money” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Money Enthusiast Group Has Troubles With - Money” by Debbie Kelley
Kelley’s story had irresistible irony: The American Numismatic Association, the main American coin-collecting body, was excelling at losing money. Kelley delved into turmoil at the ANA, one of only two federally chartered nonprofits in the U.S. She dug up tax documents and talked with former employees to tell a story of mismanagement, including the executive director’s campaign to secure loyalty oaths from employees, at the 115-year old group. Her piece was a colorful and enjoyable read.
Scott Sloan of the Lexington Herald-Leader: “Inklings of change” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“Inklings of Change” by Scott Sloan
As the newspaper industry faces declining readership, falling advertising and shareholder revolts, many local newspapers are in for hard times. Sloan’s story made sense of the larger trends and brought them home to local readers of his newspaper, the Lexington-Herald Leader, a jewel in the crown of the then-independent Knight-Ridder. The effects of years of pressure? The paper was smaller. It could no longer staff some bureaus. The travel budget had been tightened. Sloan’s piece boldly scrutinized a subject most newspapers avoid: Themselves.
Judges - Enterprise: Small
Jesse Eisinger - Portfolio Magazine
Paul Ingrassia - The Wall Street Journal
Paul Barrett - Business Week
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Category: Enterprise - Weekly newspapers
Steve Daniels of Crain’s Chicago Business: “Long hours at the nuke plants” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2
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“Long hours at the nuke plants” by Steve Daniels
Crain’s senior reporter Steve Daniels dug deeply into the causes of a string of accidents at Illinois nuclear plants and came up with the behind the scenes story. One of the reasons for the mishaps: the operator had been cutting costs, including those for maintenance. Solid work for a worthy cause.
Matthew Kish of the Indianapolis Business Journal: "The ties that blind?” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“The Ties that Blind?” by Matthew Kish
This was a fine piece of investigative financial journalism about how a local company called Marsh Supermarkets was running into difficulty because of conflicts of interests on the board level. While problems were being blamed on the great boogey man, Wal-Mart, in this case it just wasn’t so.
Matthew Quinn of Financial Week: "Inside Google's $10 billion stash” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2
Judges Comments
“Inside Google” by Matthew Quinn
We probably thought we had heard it all about the overly-successful Internet search engine. But this story sheds new light on the complications that financial success can bring. And while Google can probably handle the threat of being declared a mutual fund because of its $10 billiion in case this tale is still well worth telling.
Judges - Enterprise: Weekly
John Crudele - New York Post
Kyle Pope - Portfolio Magazine
Kevin McKenna - New York Times
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Category: Enterprise - Real-time news organizations
Laura Bruce of Bankrate: "Suspicious activity reports” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Suspicious Activity Reports” by Laura Bruce
Journalists love catching the government being overly aggressive in monitoring its citizens. And that’s what Bankrate reporter Laura Bruce discovered in this piece about post-Sept. 11 activities.
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Steven D. Jones of Dow Jones News Service: "In the money: Wrigley bulks up takeover defenses” - Download electronic copy (Word format)
Judges Comments
“IN THE MONEY: Wrigley Bulks Up Takeover Defenses” by Steven D. Jones
This piece explained the complicated story of special shares and special interests. The writer, Steven D. Jones, handled the in and outs of Wrigley’s special stock arrangements with ease.
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Christine Richard of Bloomberg News: "MBIA debt backed by crack houses Perpetuates Blight" - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“MBIA Debt Backed by Crack Houses Perpetuates Blight” by Christine Richard
This story got results. When the city of Pittsburgh found out through Christine Richard’s article that MBIA, the nation’s largest bond insurer, held tax liens on thousands of abandoned properties it moved to correct the problem.
Judges - Enterprise: Real Time
John Crudele - New York Post
Kyle Pope - Portfolio Magazine
Kevin McKenna - New York Times
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