DBusiness Honored with Four Gold and Three Silver Awards in National Business Media Competition

At its annual conference that concluded Saturday evening, the Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) awarded DBusiness magazine four gold and three silver medals for editorial and design excellence for its work during the 2018 calendar year.
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DBusiness November/December 2018
“Medical Monopoly” earned a gold award for Best Investigative Reporting and a silver award for Best Local Coverage of a National Business/Economic Story from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. // File photo

At its annual conference that concluded Saturday evening, the Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) awarded DBusiness magazine four gold and three silver medals for editorial and design excellence for its work during the 2018 calendar year.

Winners of the 2019 Editorial and Design Excellence Competition were announced at the organization’s summer conference in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday. The winners were selected by the University of Missouri School of Journalism faculty from more than 500 entries from 41 publications in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

DBusiness gold winners include:

“Change Agent” by Paul Eisenstein in the Best Personality Profile category from the January/February 2018 issue. “This profile artfully weaves the story of GM as it aims to become the automotive counterpoint to Silicon Valley and the story of an autoworker’s daughter — Mary Barra — whose engineering skills and people-skills catapulted her to break ceilings and become CEO,” said the judges.

“Medical Monopoly” by Norm Sinclair for Best Investigative Reporting from the November/December 2018 issue. “A startling lede sets the tone for this investigation into group purchasing organizations, a handful of brokers who supply hospitals with supplies and equipment,” said the judges. “A metal screw used in reconstructive surgery can be found on eBay for $1, but it could cost insurance companies as much as $2,400. The story behind these GPOs is superbly told—as well as stunning, fascinating and appalling.”

“Mobility Midway” by Ronald Ahrens from the September/October 2018 issue. “A new Ford campus of any sort has implications for the automotive industry, and when the location is in a former train station, it affects the real estate and civic sectors as well,” states the judges. “This story did an incredible job explaining what Ford is doing and why it matters.”

Ronald Ahrens for Best Body of Work by a Single Writer during 2018. “The reporter tackles the tough stories on a competitive beat — the auto industry,” according to the judges. “Stories on self-driving cars and Ford’s plans for research and development brim with information and are authoritative and deep. Through word choice and distinctive voice, he takes business writing to another level.”

DBusiness silver award winners included:

Best Overall Design, Austin Phillips, art director: “The paper used for the cover stock helps to elevate the publication and adds nice depth and quality to the cover photographs and design,” noted the judges. “On the interior, feature designs are consistently distinguished by design elements that are thoughtful and story-appropriate. Shining examples include the “Powered by Women” feature (July/August 2018) that utilizes dynamic photographic techniques and composition to make the subjects seem like the superheroes.”

“Medical Monopoly” by Norm Sinclair for Best Local Coverage of a National Business/Economic Story from the November/December 2018 issue. “The story thoroughly pieces together the reasons why health care costs have skyrocketed in America,” the judges commented. “The very first anecdote tells how the price of a simple surgical screw rises from $55 to over $2,000. Excellent reporting and powerful story telling make this piece noteworthy.”

“Closing Bell” by Ronald Ahrens for Best Recurring Feature. “This feature is a breath of fresh air the end of the book,” said the judges. “The content is relevant, explanatory, and explained in an entertaining way. The ledes are appealing and the short format serves a tightly told story.

The purpose of the competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in regional business publications.

“The high-quality journalism being done by these publications keeps readers thoroughly up-to-date and, importantly, includes a lot of data, context and historical perspective that are especially important as truth increasingly gets drowned in a flood of social media snippets,” says Reuben Stern, who coordinated the judging by faculty members at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. “The winning entries once again combine solid research, great sourcing, excellent on-the-ground reporting, deep community knowledge, and creative thinking.”

R.J. King, editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily NewsDBusiness Tech and Mobility News, and Detroit 500, says the awards are a reflection of the trust readers place in the media company. “This is the highest number of awards we have been honored with in a given year, and we strive to give our readers unbiased coverage of important and breaking business news, profiles, and trends. Congratulations to everyone from DBusiness and the Hour Media team that work hard every day to provide our readers with the best business coverage possible.”