SABEW 2006 Best in Business contest award winners
Project category
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Category: Project - Giant newspapers
Stephen Franklin and Darnell Little of the Chicago Tribune: “Throwaway workers” - Download electronic copy - PDF1 , PDF2, PDF3, PDF4
Judges Comments
“Throwaway Workers” by Stephen Franklin and Darnell Little
You have to love how this story is told so directly and firmly. It clearly hammers home a story about illegal immigrant workers that people need to read. Many newspapers have written about these workers, but few have told the story of how they are often used up and thrown away, with none of the protections U.S. workers normally receive.
Edmund L. Andrews of The New York Times: “Leaky oil royalties” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Leaky Oil Royalties” by Edmund L. Andrews
Kudos for taking a big story of the day and slicing off a piece others didn’t think to explore. In the end, readers were able to learn in very clear fashion that mismanagement of oil and gas royalty programs has been costing their government millions. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Charles Forelle, James Bandler, Mark Maremont and Steve Stecklow of The Wall Street Journal: “Perfect payday” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Perfect Payday” by Charles Forelle, James Bandler, Mark Maremont, and Steve Stecklow
First-class watchdog journalism. This work shows why it takes more than a few bloggers to police the corporate world. In this case, reporters employed highly refined investigative skills to unravel a complex story, one that is important to anyone who owns a share of stock.
Judges - Project: Giant
Ron Charter - Columbus Dispatch
Grove Potter - Buffalo News
Steve Lambert - San Bernardino Sun
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Category: Project - Large newspapers
David Olinger, Greg Griffin, Aldo Svaldi and Jeffrey Roberts of The Denver Post: “Foreclosing on the American dream” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4, PDF5
Judges Comments
“Foreclosing on the American Dream” by David Olinger, Greg Griffin, Aldo Svaldi and Jeffrey Roberts
The Denver Post, for its prescient and well-written series describing the disruptive rise of mortgage failures in Colorado, compromising the dream of home ownership.
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Steve Everly of The Kansas City Star: “It’s hot fuel for you, cold cash for big oil” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“It’s hot fuel for you, cold cash for big oil” by Steve Everly
The Kansas City Star, for a surprising expose on how the oil industry has reaped many millions in undeserved profits while shortchanging American motorists at the gas pump with the widespread use of “hot gas.”
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Sam Stanton and Marjie Lundstrom of The Sacramento Bee: “The price of access” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4, PDF5, PDF6, PDF7, PDF8, PDF9, PDF10, PDF11
Judges Comments
“The Price of Access” by Sam Stanton and Marjie Lundstrom
The Sacramento Bee, for its careful and disturbing look at a small number of lawyers in California who specialize in bringing questionable or completely meritless lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Judges - Project: Large
David Barstow - The New York Times
Kurt Eichenwald - Portfolio Magazine
Steve Weinberg - University of Missouri
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Category: Project - Medium newspapers
Stella M. Hopkins, Mitch Weiss, Binyamin Appelbaum, Rick Rothacker, Franco Ordonez, Liz Chandler, Tim Funk and Peter St. Onge of The Charlotte Observer: “Hiding in plain sight” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Hiding in Plain Sight” by Stella M. Hopkins, Mitch Weiss, Binyamin Appelbaum, Rick Rothacker, Franco Ordonez, Liz Chandler, Tim Funk and Peter St. Onge
This project offered fresh angles on a story that has gotten a large amount of publicity in the past year. The reporters came up with stories of real relevance, such as payment of illegal immigrants using tax dollars and eligibility for workers-compensation, and paid tribute to the national scope of the issue. In particular, the article about the Washington farmer and the Oaxaca immigrant who used his Social Security number humanized the issue of how to absorb immigrants into U.S. society.
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Kristi Heim, Alwyn Scott, and Alan Berner of The Seattle Times: “Customer and competitor” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4, PDF5, PDF6, PDF7, PDF8, PDF9, PDF10
Judges Comments
“China: Customer and Competitor” by Kristi Heim and Alwyn Scott
This project offered a beautifully written, compelling look at this complex country halfway around the world. The cataloguing of rampant piracy - its drawbacks, benefits and universal, intractable presence - was presented in a way that illustrated the complexity of the issues. And the portrait of Susie Cheng’s life was an excellent humanization of the booming Chinese economy. Traveling to her rural village and explaining how she worked her way up to her managerial position showed readers what life is like in red-hot China.
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Shannon Behnken of The Tampa Tribune: “A rapid rise” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“A Rapid Rise” by Shannon Behnken
This series was an original, well-researched take on the housing boom, about a great central character who was just too good at selling houses for very high prices. It captured the broader impact that this agent’s sales - in particular, the high market values - had on the neighborhoods where they occurred. It also brought to light some of the problems investors could have in trying to cash in on Florida’s hot housing market. The topic prompted reaction and action, with agency investigations and suspicious property sales being discovered across the state of Florida.
Judges - Project: Medium
Joanna Ossinger - The Wall Street Journal
Adam Bryant - The New York Times
Brad Bollinger - North Bay Business Journal
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Category: Project - Small newspapers
Michael J. Benbow of The Herald (Everett, Wash.): “Our fading fleet” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Our Fading Fleet” by Michael J. Benbow
Effectively, at times emotionally, weaves historical vignettes describing how an industry built a community and helped, as the writers put it, “feed the world with the bounty of the Puget Sound.” Very difficult to put down the dramatic stories of the fishermen, their families and their hard lives - and deaths - at sea. Where a day’s catch once paid for a house, today’s sad reality is exemplified by five fishermen splitting a “bounty” of only $79 for a long day of backbreaking work. Facts, perspective, people, clearly presented through well-chosen words, old photos and fresh graphics.
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Bryan Corliss of The Herald (Everett, Wash.): “Worldwide assembly line” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Worldwide Assembly Line” by Bryan Corliss
Globalization is dramatically presented through the cockpit of a major new Boeing aircraft. What at first looks like a triumph for U.S. industry really isn’t totally so, which the writers prove by stripping back the skin of this new plane; rather, it is a hybrid triumph, with a number of nations getting some of the economic action. Very good detail, in words and graphics, on an economic shift of critical importance to the U.S. economy - and the economy of the paper’s area. Penetrates well beneath the issue’s veneer.
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Carol Ann Coultas of the Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine): “Seeing green” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4, PDF5, PDF6, PDF7
Judges Comments
“Seeing Green” by Carol Ann Coultas
Ambitious, relevant and tough assessment of the critical local paper industry, relating how South America stole the competitive momentum, and what Maine has to do to recover - if it’s not too late. Demonstrated a major investment in resources and staff time, ingenuity in securing a grant to help with financing, substantial research and dedication, spiced by lively personal impressions of the journalists’ trip to South America. A lot of bigs: idea, research, effort and service to the community.
Judges - Project: Small
Bob Burdick - Rocky Mountain News
Abigail Goldman - Los Angeles Times
Jeffrey Sheban - The Columbus Dispatch
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Category: Project - Weekly newspapers
Thomas Mucha, Mark Scheffler, Erik Unger and Melissa Phee of Crain’s Chicago Business: “Doing business in China: Enter the dragon” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4, PDF5, PDF6, PDF7, PDF8, PDF9, PDF10, PDF11, PDF12, PDF13, PDF14, PDF15, PDF16, PDF17, PDF18, PDF19
Judges Comments
“Doing Business in China: Enter the Dragon” by Thomas Mucha, Mark Scheffler, Erik Unger and Melissa Phee
Compelling. Well-written. Witty. This package from Crain’s had it all. This was a substantial commitment by a weekly and it paid off for readers. The team brought skepticism to its reporting; explored the relationship between U.S. business and the Chinese government and offered anecdotes that brought the business dealings to life (now we know why Hyatt is branded Yue). Stunning visuals.
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Steve Wilhelm of Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle): “Bold flight: Creating the Boeing 787” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Bold Flight: Creating the Boeing 787” by Steve Wilhem
Superior storytelling enabled by excellent sourcing. Wilhelm has obviously built trust with multiple sources inside the company. The result is one delicious anecdote after another, telling details that put readers in the room as decisions are being made and a narrative that keeps moving. This is a story you can’t put down until the very end. Should be required reading for anyone who covers a company.
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Susan Stabley of the South Florida Business Journal: “Water woes” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2, PDF3
Judges Comments
“Water Woes” by Susan Stabley
The implications of South Florida’s water problems are huge and this entry does a superb job of: explaining how things got this way, what it will take to make things better and the price that the area will pay if it doesn’t get fixed. The writing is on target, mixing data, history and anecdote to good effect. The ledes in particular are smart and compelling. Good use of documentation - as in finding the SEC filing that showed a developer’s financial incentive to get a buffer zone modified to allow a project to go forward.
Judges - Project: Weekly
Mary Cornatzer - The News & Observer
Kris Hudson - The Wall Street Journal
Duchesne Drew - Star Tribune
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Category: Project - Real-time news organizations
Martin Z. Braun, David Dietz, William Selway, Christine Richard and Darrell Preston of Bloomberg News: “Duping Main Street” - Download electronic copy - PDF1, PDF2
Judges Comments
“Duping Main Street” by Martin Z. Braun, David Dietz, William Selway, Christine Richard and Darrell Preston
These reporters uncover a national scandal that is as local as it gets - the municipal bond. These stories build on Bloomberg’s earlier work on how banks profit through municipal bond deals. The reporting is thorough, the territory covered wide. These are business stories that any taxpayer will find compelling.
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Michael Smith and David Voreacos of Bloomberg News: “Slaves in Amazon forced to make materials used in GM, Toyota Cars” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Slaves in Amazon Forced to Make Materials Used in GM, Toyota Cars” by Michael Smith and David Voreacos
This entry is in a class by itself. The reporters combined extensive reporting and documentation to show how the products of slave labor in South America are bought and turned into cars, appliances and windows in the U.S. The story telling is as exquisite as the scenes are atrocious. If anyone says business journalism is boring, show them these stories. If anyone says journalism can’t make a difference, show these stories.
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Lingling Wei of Dow Jones News Service, “Mortgage finance” - Download PDF
Judges Comments
“Mortgage Finance” by Lingling Wei
Most papers are writing this story now. Dow Jones got ahead of it. This is an important story that papers will follow for years to come. The reporter’s knowledge of the industry shines through while her writing makes the report accessible to all. She simply and succinctly explains the subprime meltdown, and then goes beyond the officials and consumer advocates to find the people hurt by the numbers game being played by the subprime industry. Multiple angles are explored that take this entry beyond explanatory journalism.
Judges - Project: Real Time
Mary Cornatzer - The News & Observer
Kris Hudson - The Wall Street Journal
Duchesne Drew - Star Tribune
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