Loeb Award picks for tonight

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The Gerald Loeb Awards, considered the Pulitzer Prizes of business journalism, are being handed out at a dinner in New York on Monday night.

Here are my selections. I am basing them on what I have read in the past year, as well as the reputation of the journalists and publications involved. See all of the finalists here and tell me where you think I made the wrong selection.

Large Newspaper Category

Gretchen Morgenson, Peter S. Goodman, Charles Duhigg, Carter Dougherty, Eric Dash, Julie Creswell, Jo Becker, Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Stephen Labaton for “The Reckoning” in The New York Times. I have changed my vote here, although I still like the Washington Post entry on AIG very much.

Medium and Small Newspaper Category

Ames Alexander, Franco Ordoñez, Kerry Hall and Ted Mellnik for “The Cruelest Cuts” in The Charlotte Observer. A hometown pick, I admit, but a great inside look at the poultry industry and the injuries that result. The Miami Herald series on the scum in the Florida real estate market is also strong.

Magazines Category

Michael Lewis for “The End” in Condé Nast Portfolio. One of the best writers today taking on the dramatic changes on Wall Street.

Commentary Category

Brian M. Carney for “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” in The Wall Street Journal.

Breaking News Category

Robin Sidel, Dennis K. Berman, Kate Kelly, Carrick Mollenkamp, Mark Whitehouse, Serena Ng, Randall Smith and E. S. Browning for “Collapse of Bear Stearns” in The Wall Street Journal. Great inside detail in the reporting.

Beat Writing Category

Rick Rothacker for “The Fall of Wachovia” in The Charlotte Observer. Going with the hometown pick again, but no one has covered this story better than Rothacker.

News Services Category

William Selway and Martin Z. Braun for “Broken Promises” for Bloomberg News.

Feature Writing Category

Kate Kelly for “The Fall of Bear Stearns” in The Wall Street Journal. The book she wrote about Bear Stearns was even better.

Online Category

Gretchen Morgenson, Louise Story, Tara Siegel Bernard and Jenny Anderson for “The Debt Trap” for The New York Times.

Television Breaking News Category

Steve Kroft and L. Franklin Devine for “Economic Crisis: House of Cards” on CBS News/60 Minutes. I am a big fan of 60 Minutes.

Television Enterprise Category

Steve Kroft and Andy Court for “The Price of Bananas” on CBS News/60 Minutes.

Business Book Category

Niall Ferguson for “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World” published by The Penguin Press. Changed my vote here at the last minute.