Detroit Free Press reporter Howard wins National Headliner Award

Phoebe Wall Howard

Detroit Free Press auto reporter Phoebe Wall Howard has won the National Headliner Awards for business news coverage.

Howard won for “Out of Gear.” The judges wrote, “An investigation into the use of faulty transmissions in the Ford Fiesta & Focus led to a congressional investigation and manufacturing changes. The information was hard to find but the result was a polished look at a company that put profits over safety.”

Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel finished second for “Big Profits, Tiny Taxes” while the Seattle Times staff was third for its coverage of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Jen Wieczner of Fortune magazine won for magazine feature writing. The judges wrote, “Wieczner’s depth of reporting, vivid writing style and broad selection of topics gave her the edge in a category full of excellence.”

The awards were founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City. The annual contest is one of the oldest and largest in the country that recognizes journalistic merit in the communications industry.

See all of the winners here.

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.