Bankrate’s Rossman, two TV reporters win consumer finance journalism awards

Ted Rossman

Bankrate’s Ted Rossman and local television reporters Heather Sullivan of FOX 26 Houston and Jackie Callaway of ABC Action News Tampa Bay have won the inaugural 2021 Financial Literacy and Education in Communities Awards.

The awards are given by Money Management International, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit financial educators.

“Honoring the work of journalists and media professionals who bring credible and actionable information and inspiration to their communities is important for all of us at MMI,” said Jim Triggs, president and CEO at MMI, in a statement.

Rossman won the national award, while Sullivan and Callaway won the local awards. They were selected by the senior leadership team at MMI based upon the breadth, depth, and quality of their reporting on financial wellness issues impacting communities at the local and national levels.

Rossman covers credit cards and debt.

Sullivan’s Smart Sense reports are all about helping Houston families save money and protect themselves from scams and rip-offs. Callaway is the “Taking Action” reporter for her station.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.