Deadline Club winners dominated by biz journalism

Although there is two categories for business journalism, the winners of many of the other categories for the Deadline Club contest, organized by the New York chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, were business journalists or stories about how business is affecting society.

Ellen Schultz of the Wall Street Journal, for example, won in the beat reporting category. The judges wrote, “Ellen Schultz’s thorough and innovative coverage of the complex world of pensions exposes how federal benefits law has gradually shifted its protections from employees to the companies that employ them. Her writing illuminates what could be a mundane topic by combining well-researched reporting with compelling accounts of the effects these changes on people ranging from widows to former NFL players. By distilling arcane financial data into something easily understood she produces original and oftentimes surprising stories that not only explain complicated pension issues, but provide a service to readers.”

Erik Schatzker, Gavin Serkin, Peter Robison, Ann Saphir, Walden Siew, John Dooley, Otis Bilodeau and Malcom Shearmur of Bloomberg News won in the spot news category for their coverage of the Refco debacle. The judges wrote, “Our judges were impressed with the amount of detail and clarity the Bloomberg reporters were able to squeeze into their stories under heavy deadline pressure. Their ability to craft six stories that were both informative and insightful within a 24-hour time-frame left us wondering whether there were any details for anyone else to report.”

Pete Engardio, Manjeet Kripalani, Dexter Roberts, Brian Bremner, Steve Hamm, Bruce Einhorn, Frederik Balfour and the staff at BusinessWeek won for “China & India: What You Need To Know Now” in the business feature category. The judges wrote, “Everything an American investor ever wanted to know about China and India. A wide-ranging package of six ‘chapters’ any one of which would be a good examination of its subject matter, with 21 articles. Great breadth and scope, clearly setting forth the unconventionally examined challenged that are faced.”

David Evans, Michael Smith and Liz Willen of Bloomberg News won in the business series or investigative reporting category for “Big Pharma’s Shameful Secret.” The judges wrote, “This series addresses subcontracted clinical trials. This series feels like journalism at its best — driven by the reporters’ curiosity, initiative and ultimately focused indignation over a system that exploits the most vulnerable for profit. The team never fails to get the other side but is unflinching in calling it the way they see it after what is clearly an enormous amount of reporting.”

See all of the winners here.