2000 News: Best in Business Contest Winners Announced

March 31, 2000
Society of American Business Editors and Writers Inc.

Contact:
Randy Picht, contest chairman, (212) 621-1685, Randy_Picht@ap.org
Carolyn Guniss, SABEW executive director, (573) 882-8985, sabew@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Society of American Business Editors and Writers has named the winners in its sixth annual Best in Business contest, which recognizes the best overall publications and deadline reporting in business journalism during 1999.

A total of 246 entries from daily newspapers, business weeklies, wire services and business news online sites were received, including 150 stories or story packages in the spot news portion of the contest.

Sixteen daily or weekly publications were named Best in Business for overall excellence, and eight were recognized with certificates of merit.

Fourteen news organizations were named Best in Business for spot news coverage. Six were recognized for honorable mentions. The category recognizes news organizations that produced superior work under tight deadlines.

The SABEW Best in Business contest was started in 1995 to help set standards and recognize role models for outstanding business journalism.

Awards will be presented Sunday, April 30, at the Sheraton Colony Square Hotel in
Atlanta, during SABEW's Annual Convention. Winning sections will be on display throughout most of the convention at the hotel. Additional information about the conference and SABEW is available on the Internet (http://www.sabew.org).

Best in Business winners for overall excellence, by category and listed in alphabetical order are (Judges could name up to five winners in each category):

GIANT (Newspapers with average daily circulation 350,001 and above):

– Boston Globe (http://www.bostonglobe.com)
– Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com)
-- Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com)

Judges: Bob Frick -- Associate Editor, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Stephen D. Solomon – Associate professor and director of business and economic reporting at New York University.

Matt Winkler - Editor-In-Chief, Bloomberg News

LARGE (Newspapers with circulation 225,001-350,000):

-- New Orleans Times-Picayune (http://www.timespicayune.com)
– Charlotte Observer (http://www.charlotteobserver.com)
-- Fort Lauderdale SunSentinel (http://www.sunsentinel.com)
-- San Jose Mercury News (http://www.mercurycenter.com)

Certificate of Merit Winners: The Miami Herald, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Judges: R. Dean Mills - Dean, Univ. of Missouri School of Journalism

John Winn Miller - Editor, Tallahassee Democrat

Mark Howard - editor, Florida Trend magazine

MEDIUM (Newspapers with circulation 100,001-225,000):

– The Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (http://www.pilotonline.com)
– St. Paul Pioneer-Press (http://www.pioneerpress.com)
– The Des Moines Register (http://www.desmoinesregister.com)

Certificate of Merit Winner: The Contra Costa Times

Judges: Nolan Finley - Deputy Managing Editor, The Detroit News

David Haynes - Senior Editor: Business News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Todd Nissen - Correspondent, Reuters America Inc.

SMALL (Newspapers with circulation under 100,000):

– The Columbian, (Vancouver, Wash.) (http://www.columbian.com)
– Florida Today (Melbourne, Fla.) (http://www.floridatoday.com)

Certificate of Merit Winners: Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Judges: Kate Lee Butler - Senior Business Team Leader, The Orange County Register

Scott Fagerstrom - Business Editor, Union-Tribune

Mark Hester - Business Editor, The Oregonian

BUSINESS WEEKLIES:

– Atlanta Business Chronicle (http://www.amcity.com/atlanta/)
– Washington Business Journal (http://www.amcity.com/washington/)
– Los Angeles Business Journal (http://www.labusinessjournal.com)
– The Denver Business Journal (http://www.amcity.com/denver/)

Certificate of Merit Winners:
-- Interactive Week
-- Crain's Detroit Business
-- South Florida Business Journal

Judges: Patrick Chu - Editor, Bloomberg News

Paul Davidson – Technology writer, USA Today Money Section

Pam Feibish - Business Editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Best in Business Spot News winners, by category and in alphabetical order
are (Judges could name up to three winners in each category):

GIANT (Newspapers with circulation over 350,001):

– The Boston Globe, “Fleet to acquire BankBoston”
– The Star Tribune (Minneapolis), “Honeywell sold to N.J. firm”

Honorable Mentions: Detroit Free Press, “Detroit Wins High-Tech Prize”

LARGE (Newspapers with circulation 225,001-350,000):

– The Kansas City Star, “Merger About Growth”
– The Sacramento Bee, “Packard Bell NEC bailing out”
– San Jose Mercury News, “HP breaks up”

Honorable Mentions:
-- San Antonio Express-News, “Clear Dominance”
-- Tampa Tribune, “Florida Progress sale near”

MEDIUM (Newspapers with circulation 100,001-225,000):

– Des Moines Register, “AccessAir shuts down, files for bankruptcy”
– The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.), “AstraZeneca picks Delaware”

Honorable Mention: Virginian-Pilot, “A deal? Yes. An end? Maybe.”

SMALL (Newspapers with circulation up to 100,000):

– Durham Herald-Sun, “Liggett signals end of era”
– Durham Herald-Sun, “RDU lands low-cost, no-frills Southwest”
– Santa Rosa Press Democrat, “OCLI’s stock soars on buyout”

Honorable Mention: The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.), “Shutdown is a jolt to workers”

WEEKLIES:

-- Atlanta Business Chronicle, “Change Afoot at A&P”
-- Crain’s Detroit Business, “Little Caesar Shuts Stores”
-- Kansas City Business Journal, “Sale of the Century”

Honorable mention: Dallas Business Journal, "Mattel Plotting Huge Facility”

REAL-TIME:

-- Bloomberg News, “Microsoft President Ballmer Says Tech Stocks Overpriced”
-- Bridge News, “Bank of America earnings boost result of one-time gain”

Spot News Judges:

Cherrill Crosby - Assistant Managing Editor, Wilmington News-Journal

Jamie Heller - Editor of Strategic Ventures, The Street.com

Diana B. Henriques - Reporter, The New York Times

Peter Mancusi - Business Editor, The Boston Globe

Josh Mills – Professor and director, Graduate Program in Business Journalism, Baruch
College of CUNY

The Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Inc., headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism, is an association of more than 3,200 business journalists in North America. Formed in 1964 to promote superior coverage of business and economic events and issues, it is the only business journalism association for editors and writers.