Seattle Times wins business award

The Scripps Howard Foundation named its National Journalism Awards today, and the Seattle Times won in the business and economics reporting category.

Biotechnology reporter Luke Timmerman and investigative reporter David Heath exposed a little-known but insidious practice that had been growing on Wall Street: Looking to get an investing edge, elite Wall Street firms paid medical researchers to divulge details about their ongoing research into potential new drugs. They found 26 cases in which doctors leaked confidential information. The SEC is investigating and the Association of American Medical Colleges told its members to urge doctors to “scrupulously honor” confidentiality agreements.

The special report, called “Selling Drug Secrets,” can be reviewed online here.

Finalists were The Des Moines (Iowa) Register and The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Read the release of all of the winners here.