WSJ, Bloomberg win awards from Silurians

The Wall Street Journal is the winner in the business and financial category of the Society of the Silurians‘ 2012 Excellence in Journalism Awards Competition.

Jean Pulliam, Rob Barry and Jean Eaglesham of the Wall Street Journal won for their exhaustive six-month investigation that uncovered insider trading by a thousand corporate executives who traded stock in their own companies ahead of potentially market-moving corporate news announcements.

In addition, Susan Antilla won the prize for commentary for a series of eyeopening Bloomberg columns that illuminate how abuses by financial firms, lax regulation and unfair industry practices harm investors, consumers and even employees.

Bloomberg reporter Esme E. Duprez won the prize for magazine reporting for her sensitive and finely-tuned piece on income inequality and its ramifications on social mobility. Titled “Poor Forever? Connecticut’s Ribbon of Hardship,” it chronicles two families as they struggle to move up the financial ladder against great odds. She poignantly brings to life the reality of the growing gulf between rich and poor.

The Silurians, founded in 1924, is an organization of veteran journalists dedicated to excellence and journalistic integrity.