IBJ won six national journalism awards for coverage in 2017—one gold, three silver and two bronze honors—at the Alliance of Area Business Publications’ summer conference Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The annual AABP Editorial Excellence competition recognizes print and online writing, photography and design by regional business publications. IBJ competes in the largest publications category against business journals from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and other major cities.
Two-dozen judges from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism evaluated 484 entries overall from 37 publications from the United States, Canada and Australia.
Mike Lopresti’s weekly sports column for IBJ captured the gold medal in the “best recurring feature” category.
“The level of authority and exceptional detail in Mike Lopresti’s column must come from a lifetime passion for sports and writing,” judges wrote. “In a city full of major sports franchises and a state full of big-name college teams, his voice is definitely one to listen to.”
IBJ reporter Lindsey Erdody landed a silver award in the “best body of work” category for articles she wrote about Angie’s List and municipal financing.
“Erdody infuses revelatory examples into the story of a twisting path to merger for Angie’s List and explains the trend of ambitious towns funding their community improvement projects with bonds and gladly taking on debt to make things better,” judges wote.
IBJ reporter Anthony Schoettle received a silver for “best coverage of local breaking news” for his analysis of the firing of Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean.
“This report does an excellent job of looking at the firing of a university basketball coach from a business perspective,” judges wrote. “Excellent sourcing and details on the financial situation in Indiana University’s basketball program make this far more than a sports story. It’s an important read.”
IBJ Managing Editor Lesley Weidenbener was awarded a silver for “best editorial” for a piece headlined “Judicial selection process must be open.”
“This is a true editorial, taking a stand and supporting its arguments,” judges wrote. “Clearly written and argued before readers.”
IBJ News Editor Mason King took home the bronze award in the “best daily email” category for Eight@8. Judges said it was “written cheekily and has a strong style.”
Weidenbener and Schoettle received bronze in the “best specialty e-newsletter” category for #IBJtech. Judges praised it for having a “specific enough yet broad enough” focus on technology.
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