NAREE 58th Journalism Competition Winners
/EMBARGOED UNTIL: Contact: Mary Doyle-Kimball
2:30 pm CDT 561-391-3599
Friday, May 9, 2008
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE EDITORS ANNOUNCES WINNERS
OF 58TH ANNUAL JOURNALISM AWARDS
DALLAS, TX – The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) announced the winners of its 58th Annual Journalism Awards today. For over half a century, NAREE’s awards program has recognized excellence in reporting, writing and editing stories about both residential and commercial real estate and building.
This year's Robert F. Brennan Award for Best Overall Entry by an Individual with its $2,000 prize went to Jeanne Jones of the Puget Sound Business Journal.
For the first time ever an overall Freelance Collection Award was given. Freelancer Ted Cushman, who writes for Builder magazine, took first place.
The judges also awarded a “Special Judges’ Citation for Excellence in Journalism” to Allen Norwood and his team at the Charlotte Observer for their coverage of the far-reaching effect of the mortgage crisis in Charlotte, N.C.
The award winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Professor Patrick S. Washburn, a former news reporter and editor, chaired the panel of jurors. A record number of entries from professional journalists across the U.S. were received this year. Prizes, totaling $10,000, were awarded in 32 different categories.
This year’s award recipients include:
Robert F. Brennan Award for Best Overall Entry by an Individual
Winner: Jeanne Jones, Puget Sound Business Journal
Judges’ Comment: “From the clever lead that captured the judges’ attention to the last sentence, the article about trading foreign investment dollars for green cards made for highly interesting reading. Blending two hot-button topics—commercial development and immigration—the reporter skillfully wove a tale of great interest to local readers. The uniqueness of the subject matter really stood out.”
Second Place: Jason Method, Asbury Park Press
Judges’ Comment: “In a bumper crop of arresting stories about the national mortgage and foreclosure crisis, this reporter’s work was the best of show on this subject. The reporter used details and interviews, along with graphics, to explain in clear terms a highly complex and potentially confusing tale. Clearly, the reporter and his editors devoted substantial time and resources to reporting on and about their community. That is what public service journalism is all about.”
James D. Carper Award for Best Entry by a Young Journalist
Winner: Jamie Smith Hopkins, Baltimore Sun
Judges’ Comment: “While this reporter won only one category, her entries were strong contenders in several others. Her versatility, along with her newspaper’s clear interest in the real estate area, assisted readers in navigating complex issues with interesting and easy to understand stories. She mined data to provide evidence that backed up her anecdotes and quotes.”
Second Place: Sule Carranza, Real Estate Forum
Judges’ Comment: “This writer has a solid knowledge of business principles, which enables her to look beyond the breaking news and provide context for readers. Her extensive reporting provided a well-rounded analysis of the issues.”
Best Freelance Collection
Winner: Ted Cushman, Freelance, Builder magazine
Judges’ Comment: “This reporter took a topic, wildfires, that often leads the six o’clock news, and offered creative, additional depth and detail about how good design can prevent or limit damage. His work illustrates the fact that what sometimes seems like fate or inevitability can be addressed by common sense and attention to detail. Overall, he took a hackneyed topic and made it fresh. That is the mark of an effective reporter.”
Second Place: Greg Cook, Freelance, Meredith publishing
Judges’ Comment: “The writer capitalized on consumer magazines’ appetite for living green articles. He went beyond the trite introductions to the topic and instead offered an insightful and practical guide for homeowners who want to reduce energy consumption. It is a true talent to blend a single anecdote with practical tips so seamlessly.”
Category 1: Best Spot Real Estate News Report—Daily Newspaper
Winner: Jennifer Hiller, San Antonio Express-News
Judges’ Comment: “This story, with lively prose and thorough reporting, illustrated the paradox in at least one big real estate deal where there were many losers and one big winner. The latter was the person who put the deal together. The reporter advantageously used a lot of interviews and public records.”
Second Place: Roger Showley, San Diego Union-Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “Readers in this disaster-prone region understood the importance of reading the fine print when purchasing a home, thanks to this detailed report on landslides in the area. The reporter uncovered the poor reporting of landslide-prone properties on local maps and increased awareness of how prospective homeowners could protect themselves.”
Category 2: Best Residential Real Estate Report—Daily Newspaper
Winner: Roger Showley, San Diego Union-Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “This engaging, humorous story chronicled the creativity and enterprise that led to RottenNeighbor.com. The Web site is a combination of a sounding board and a pressure-relief valve for people annoyed by their residential neighbors. It is a unique topic that showed imagination, creativity, and wit by the reporter and obviously filled a niche.”
Second Place: Shannon Behnken, Tampa Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “This front-page story showed the human cost of the national mortgage crisis. The reporter profiled the effect that mounting foreclosures had on a family-friendly neighborhood in the region. Home values plummeted as banks took over property after property.”
Category 3: Best Home Design Feature—Daily Newspaper
Winner: John Handley, Freelance, Chicago Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “This story formed a kind of consumers’ guide to the hottest new technology available for new homes. The article discussed the pros, the cons, and perhaps most importantly, the price of cutting-edge features in high technology.”
Second Place: Sharon Stangenes, Freelance, Chicago Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “This concise report provided an overview of the green building movement. The reporter attended the national green building conference and gleaned tips and information for environmentally conscious readers interested in making a difference.”
Category 4: Best Mortgage or Financial Real Estate Report—Daily Newspaper
Winner: Ted Evanoff, Indianapolis Star
Judges’ Comment: “This reporting on an Indianapolis-area fraud shed light on one of the critical factors of the international mortgage crisis. It explained a complex story in simple, easy to understand terms.”
Second Place: Allan Lengel, Washington Post
Judges’ Comment: “Piecing together information from sales documents, the reporter explained a mortgage scam in a northern Virginia townhouse community. Using a variety of sources, the article examined this on-going fraud and an FBI investigation. This was a solid example of local investigative reporting.”
Category 5: Best Commercial Real Estate Report—Daily Newspaper
Winner: Jeff Ostrowski, Palm Beach Post
Judges’ Comment: “Kudos to the reporter for tackling this important local topic. The article detailed how sellers exploited state tax loopholes on high-dollar property sales, costing the city treasury significant municipal tax dollars. Readers may have questioned the documentary stamp tax after this timely report.”
Second Place: Lorraine Mirabella and Jamie Smith Hopkins, Baltimore Sun
Judges’ Comment: “This is watchdog journalism at its best. This story revealed in a clear, concise way how public-private partnerships between big cities and private developers are indeed profitable, but mainly for the developers. It is a story that is repeated in city after city but told uniquely well in this report.”
Category 6: Best Report—Daily Newspaper Less Than 250,000 Circulation
Winner: Jeanne Bonner, Allentown Morning Call
Judges’ Comment: “This reporter examined the lack of affordable housing in the Lehigh Valley. A solid local story, it looked at causes, effects, and possible solutions to the rapidly growing problems. The article ended on a positive note by outlining efforts to combat the problems.”
Second Place: Aubrey Cohen, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Judges’ Comment: “This is a timely, topical, creative approach to a topic that might otherwise seem shopworn: the foreclosure crisis in Seattle. The writer offered realistic suggestions to a sometimes underserved audience of home buyers. A sidebar presented practical information for consumers in need.”
Category 7: Best Report—Weekly Business Newspaper
Winner: Jeanne Jones, Puget Sound Business Journal
Judges’ Comment: “The reporter wrote an enterprising and intriguing report about a little-known phenomenon: A federal immigration program that helps people with green cards to get into the United States in exchange for significant investments in real estate. The article highlighted the far-reaching consequences of this practice on commercial rents.”
Second Place: Thomas Grillo, Banker & Tradesman
Judges’ Comment: “The reporter covered the seemingly paradoxical stance of Middleborough, Mass., in embracing a casino development while fighting a 10-home development. The article examined how a state statute designed to increase the supply of affordable housing was abused to keep out a luxury development.”
Category 8: Best Feature—General Circulation/Shelter Magazine
Winner: Greg Cook, Freelance, Meredith publishing
Judges’ Comment: “In this ‘living green’ article, the writer told about an ordinary family’s encounter with energy audits and the quest to make their home more energy efficient. Real-world information was offered so homeowners knew what to expect and how to make the best use of the information that an energy audit provides.”
Second Place: Sheri Koones, Smart HomeOwner Magazine.
Judges’ Comment: “In a well-written article that was easily understandable for consumers, the writer examined the advantages of going ‘green’ by building a log home. Overall, the article provided a lot of valuable information for those considering this building alternative, including listing contact information on eight of the major log home builders in the U.S.”
Category 9: Best Real Estate Report—General Circulation, Real Estate, Business, or Financial Magazine
Winner: Stephen Gandel, Money magazine
Judges’ Comment: “The article chronicled the pitfalls and the opportunities of investing in foreclosed properties. The thorough, in-depth story provided a genuine service to readers considering foreclosure investing as part of their personal financial strategy. This cautionary story was extremely well written for investors attempting to make a quick profit.”
Second Place: Jennifer Martin, Unique Homes magazine
Judges’ Comment: “The reporter covered an emerging trend in the high-end real estate market: the installation of wine cellars for discriminating buyers. The report summarized a survey of homeowners and Realtors by the magazine that found wine amenities were among the top five most sought-after features in 2006.”
Category 10: Best Trade Magazine Report—for the Residential Real Estate/Building/Development Industries
Co-Winners: Ted Cushman, Builder magazine and Leah Thayer, Remodeling magazine
Judges’ Comment (Cushman): “The writer’s timely and thorough article detailed the risks of wildfires for homeowners living on the boundary between undeveloped land and built-up areas. The article underscored the fact that fire prevention is partly a matter of home design and construction, not just post-construction safeguards.”
Judges’ Comment (Thayer): “In this article, the reporter addressed a nightmare that can accompany every remodeling project—unanticipated expenses and complications. Specific how-tos helped readers with tight profit margins improve efficiency and client satisfaction. Scannable sidebars offered quick tips for busy readers.”
Second Place: Sharon O’Malley, Building Products magazine
Judges’ Comment: “This article highlighted the importance of proper hardware by detailing the alarming national increase in deck collapses, leading sometimes to severe injuries or even deaths. After interviewing manufacturers, contractors, and building experts, the writer emphasized the growing need for stricter code standards and homeowner education. The writer is to be congratulated for looking at a topic that is seldom covered.”
Category 11: Best Trade Magazine Report—for the Commercial Real Estate Industry
Winner: Sule Carranza, Real Estate Forum
Judges’ Comment: “This detailed examination of increased M&A activity among property firms provided a comprehensive look at the recent flurry of activities. The in-depth report covered private buyers, frequent rent growth, and the risk of integration going far beyond the normal stories about the activities themselves.”
Second Place: Rachel McMurdie, Institutional Real Estate Letter
Judges’ Comment: “This is a crisp, concise report combined with a spruced-up layout. The writer took an otherwise dull topic, real estate securities, and made it lively and interesting.”
Category 12: Best Spot Real Estate News Report—Online
Winner: Christopher Solomon, Freelance, MSN Real Estate
Judges’ Comment: “The writer offered mortgage holders a kind of checklist for deciding whether they should or should not consider suing their lenders. He also offered specific resources that supplemented the information in the article. Anecdotes illustrated predatory lending tactics and offered a primer that all buyers should read prior to closing on a property.”
Second Place: Karen Aho, Freelance, MSN
Judges’ Comment: “This story reported on a new phenomenon in the consumer real estate market: single-family homes sold as condos. The writer detailed the advantages and disadvantages of this unconventional ownership option and is to be commended for uncovering this emerging trend. Readers were offered a series of questions that they should ask before signing a contract.”
Category 13: Best Residential Real Estate Report—Online
Winner: Sharon Lynch, Bloomberg News
Judges’ Comment: “This report demonstrated that Hurricane Katrina was not the only disaster to befall low-income residents of New Orleans. Now, the city that time forgot is facing a second crisis that affects the rest of the nation as well: the subprime lending problem. The writer’s on-site interviewing provided heart-wrenching specifics about residents’ plight in a powerfully written piece.”
Second Place: Glenn Roberts Jr., Inman News
Judges’ Comment: “The writer dissected the 2007 housing market crisis in this well investigated report. He explained the whys behind the crisis, put it in context by comparing it to previous crises, and looked ahead to 2008 to determine when the turnaround might begin. Extensive sourcing in the three-part series included top economists and financial experts.”
Category 14: Best Mortgage or Financial Real Estate Report—Online
Winner: Matt Carter, Inman News
Judges’ Comment: “As news of the housing crisis began to break in March 2007, the author provided one of the most comprehensive special reports on the subprime crisis. Prescient and well researched, this package explained what was happening, why it was happening, and the potential fallout. The writer is to be congratulated for delving into the biggest real estate story of the year as it emerged.”
Second Place: Holden Lewis, Bankrate.com
Judges’ Comment: “The writer explained the complex factors that contributed to the meltdown and crisis in the subprime mortgage leading industry. The in-depth report illustrated a paradox in subprime lending: lenders did not worry about the risks of default on the part of borrowers.”
Category 15: Best Commercial Real Estate Report—Online
Winner: Hui-yong Yu, Bloomberg News
Judges’ Comment: “This detailed account of how Vornado beat seemingly unbeatable rival Blackstone in an acquisition gave readers an insiders’ look at how the big players operate. The article answered the quintessential question that a business article should always answer: how do things really work?”
Category 16: Best Blog or Podcast
Winner: Holden Lewis, Bankrate.com
Judges’ Comment: “In a lively, colorful, and accessible manner, the blogger took complex subject matter and relayed it in a timely, comprehensible way to his audience. This blog featured original reporting and real enterprise as the writer responded regularly to reader questions and offered a solid mix of tips and analysis.”
Second Place: Harold Bubil, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “The reporter is to be congratulated for offering viewers blogs and podcasts that measured the pulse of this upscale real estate market. Interviewers with Realtors, builders, and public officials, as well as on-site coverage of important trade shows, provided detailed daily coverage.”
Category 17: Best Broadcast Report
Winner: Gary Matsumoto, Bloomberg News
Judges’ Comment: “This was a comprehensive report about the $14 billion run on Florida’s state-managed investment pool, which was brought on by risky investing in subprime-tainted securities. Using extensive interviews with officials, including Florida’s chief financial officer, this investigative report particularly showed how employees of counties and school boards were faced with the possibility of a Christmas without paychecks as a result of the losses. This was broadcasting on a level with shows such as “60 Minutes” and “20-20.”
Second Place: Linda Bell, Bloomberg News
Judges’ Comment: “The announcer tackled the important topic of high-cost, high-risk loans for minorities in a comprehensive manner that was surprising because of the one-minute radio format. She addressed the problem at the national level with an interview with the HUD secretary and discussed the Rev. Al Sharpton’s educational efforts to address the problem. She also offered a local angle with an anecdote from especially beleaguered New Orleans.”
Category 18: Bob Bruss Award for Best Column
Winner: Michael Gottlieb, California Real Estate Journal
Judges’ Comment: “This columnist tackled topics from the serious to the humorous. An excellent writer who is not afraid to use a good metaphor and a zippy turn of phrase, he provided a clear theme in every column and never forgot the journalistic importance of keeping the reader ‘turning the page.’ He also demonstrated a gift of crafty leads and memorable closings without which no column can draw readers.”
Second Place: Katherine Salant, Washington Post
Judges’ Comment: “The writer’s magisterial work explained and detailed how buildings and the design of buildings have helped influence the way we live as social beings. That is a dimension of real estate that is too often underappreciated and always underreported.”
Category 19: Best Serial Report
Winner: Jason Method, Asbury Park Press
Judges’ Comment: “This exhaustive report on home mortgage closures and subprime lending in his newspaper’s circulation area explained the local dimensions of the national crisis. The series put human faces on stories about not only dollars and sense, housing, and land but also people’s hopes, dreams, and fears. This was great work.”
Second Place: Randi Marshall, Newsday
Judges’ Comment: “This series on Long Island’s mortgage crises provided a 360-degree view of how consumers, local businesses, and national lenders were coping. A wealth of sidebars and infographics gave detailed statistics at a glance, and a mix of personal stories and comprehensive data left readers with in-depth knowledge of the regional crisis.”
Category 20: Best Collection of Work by an Individual
Winner: Jamie Smith Hopkins, Baltimore Sun
Judges’ Comment: “This reporter’s knowledge of the real estate industry made these articles stand out from the pack. Using an excellent mix of statistics and anecdotes, along with compelling writing, she covered local and regional stories with reach and lasting impact. From the foreclosure crisis in the suburbs to the surprising stability of the Cumberland, Md., housing market, she kept readers informed and engaged in easily understood stories.”
Second Place: Noelle Knox, USA Today
Judges’ Comment: “This writer’s original reporting provided new frameworks for understanding the complex national foreclosure problem. One framework explained fraud, a second explained how foreclosures affect communities, and a third explained the problems that the crisis created for first-time home buyers. The writing was excellent.”
Honorable Mention: Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune
Judges’ Comment: “This reporter showed an ability to deal with a wide range of real estate stories. These ranged from the subprime mortgage problem to a redevelopment agency that was ignoring its pledge to build low-income housing on a site it purchased with tax revenues to a local building boom that led to numerous high-priced condos in downtown San Diego. All of the stories were well researched and highly interesting and clearly performed a service for readers because they were better informed as a result of them.”
Category 21: Best Newspaper Real Estate Section—More Than 250,000 Circulation
Winner: Susanne Althoff, Boston Globe
Judges’ Comment: “This delightful newspaper magazine, skillfully melding words and pictures, offered readers a tremendous variety of features about real estate and the modern home. Particularly strong were its stories on environmentally friendly designs and on modern residential architecture.”
Second Place: Emily Spicer, San Antonio Express-News
Judges’ Comment: “This section was exceptionally well designed. The dominant front-page feature captured readers’ interest with interesting photography, good layouts, and clever headlines. The editorial content focused on the needs of buyers and sellers but also offered advice for homeowners.”
Category 22: Best Newspaper Real Estate Section—Less than 250,000 Circulation
Winner: Paul Weideman, Santa Fe New Mexican
Judges’ Comment: “This four-color glossy, with an oversized format, demanded attention. The editorial content and stunning photography delivered in all three sample entries as a solid mix of features and columns addressed the inspirational and the practical. While advertising dominates in this up-scale market, the high-quality content offered readers how-tos and ideas.”
Second Place: Christine Kilpatrick, San Francisco Business Times
Judges’ Comment: “This section offered its audience a 360-degree perspective on the San Francisco Bay region. Included in its in-depth reports was news of environmentally friendly buildings and the redevelopment of Oakland, a sister port city to San Francisco.”
Category 23: Best Newspaper Home Section—More Than 250,000 Circulation
Winner: Judy Stark, St. Petersburg Times
Judges’ Comment: “Engaging front-page layouts drew readers into this idea-packed section, which offered a mix of home and garden content as well as practical consumer advice. Interesting columns anchored the interior of this informative section.”
Second Place: Cindy Hoedel, Kansas City Star
Judges’ Comment: “A clean, contemporary layout featured excellent use of sans serif fonts and interesting photographs, and readers were treated to a good variety of tips, trends, and issues each week. All in all, it was a satisfying home section.”
Category 24: Best Newspaper Home Section—Less Than 250,000 Circulation
Winner: Allen Norwood, Charlotte Observer
Judges’ Comment: “Interesting profiles led this consumer-friendly section. Each issue offered a solid mix of ideas for homeowners and information on the local real estate market. Page one design was particularly noteworthy with user-friendly navigation at the top and an engaging feature and two well-written columns. Four-color photography sparked reader interest from start to finish.”
Second Place: Chas Sisk, Arienne Holland, Karen-Lee Ryan, Heather Fritz, The Tennessean
Judges’ Comment: “This practical home section offered product ideas, design inspiration, and practical information about the housing market in Nashville. A clean and easy to navigate design made the variety of content easily accessible to busy readers.”
Category 25: Best General Circulation/Shelter Magazine—Home Design, Construction, Remodeling, Real Estate and/or Consumer Finance
Winner: Sal Alfano, Remodeling magazine
Judges’ Comment: “This magazine helped remodelers to work smarter, not harder. Each issue provided busy readers with easy to navigate advice and best-practice profiles to improve their bottom line.”
Second Place: Bryan Pope, Tierra Grande
Judges’ Comment: “Objective, topical, and timely, this publication, which was targeted not only for the Texas market but regionally, appeared to be unique for a real estate magazine. Its university association added an extra dimension of credibility and polish to its look.”
Category 26: Best Building and Development Magazine—More Than $4 Million in Annual Revenues—Covering Home Design, and Residential and Commercial Planning, Design and Construction
Winner: Denise Dersin, Builder magazine
Judges’ Comment: “A professionally done magazine, it is an industry leader and it shows. Each issue provided a solid mix of industry news, profiles, and economic trends. Editors knew their target audience well, giving quick tips to improve quality and profitability in a highly competitive field.”
Category 27: Best Building and Development Magazine—Less Than $4 Million in Annual Revenues—Covering Home Design, and Residential and Commercial Planning, Design and Construction
Winner: S. Claire Conroy, Residential Architect
Judges’ Comment: “Each issue offered residential architects practical advice to improve their business to further their craft. A refreshing array of feature stories, analyses, and profiles informed readers about best practices and industry trends. The magazine utilized a clean, modern design with a lot of white space and excellent photography.”
Second Place: Michael Gottlieb, California Real Estate Journal
Judges’ Comment: “This broad-spectrum weekly showed great topical and geographical range about a state that arguably is the birthplace of modern real estate development. Its design was lively and its content accessible. Overall, it was a very solid package.”
Category 28: Best Commercial Real Estate Magazine
Winner: Matt Valley, National Real Estate Investor
Judges’ Comment: “This well-targeted trade magazine provided a solid monthly mix of trend research, profiles, and industry best practices. A well-designed publication, it provided an easy-to-navigate front-of-book and back-of-book architecture with strong columns. Especially noteworthy were the well-branded and well-reported feature stories.”
Second Place: Suzann Silverman, Commercial Property News
Judges’ Comment: “The magazine appealed to a wide audience of real estate and investment professionals. The issues were particularly strong in identifying trends in the real estate business and in providing statistical information on the real estate industry. It also offered readers snappy graphics.”
Category 29: Best Mortgage/Financial Real Estate Magazine—Covering Mortgages, Financial Reports and Financial Trends Relating to the Real Estate Industry
Winner: Michael Gottlieb, California Real Estate Journal
Judges’ Comment: “This publication kept the California real estate community informed about the latest developments in the year’s biggest story: the national mortgage collapse. Each issue provided broad coverage of the state and detailed insights into all facets of the real estate industry. Well designed and easy to navigate, it offered busy readers news, analysis, and great columns each week.”
Second Place: Tony Stasiek, Scotsman Guide
Judges’ Comment: “This publication provided a wealth of valuable material to those in the mortgage business. It made good use of charts and color along with well written and informative articles, making it a necessity for lenders.”
Category 30: Best Real Estate Newsletter
Winner: Larry Gray, Institutional Real Estate Letter
Judges’ Comment: “This newsletter lived up to its statement of purpose in every issue, providing comprehensive coverage with a wealth of standing departments and monthly features. Each jam-packed issue offered busy readers a mix of national and international coverage, excellent sidebars and infographics, and useful executive summaries.”
Second Place: Paul Fiorilla, Commercial Mortgage Alert
Judges’ Comment: “At a time of incredible volatility in the real estate markets, this publication provided nearly encyclopedic coverage of investments that were as volatile as they were important. Professionally reported, the publication also was professionally packaged.”
Category 31: Best Web Site—Solely Devoted to Real Estate and/or Home Design
Winner: Jessica Swesey, Inman News
Judges’ Comment: “This is clearly the best in its class of the entries in this category. Content, timeliness, and site design all made for a dynamic source of information about real estate and the real estate business.”
Second Place: Suzann Silverman, Commercial Property News
Judges’ Comment: “Real estate professionals who want to stay abreast of industry news nationally and internationally should bookmark this site. It offers a wealth of content, including videos, career opportunities, and blogs. A great design with user-friendly navigation that places scannable, breaking news at the forefront of the page.”
Category 32: Best Team Report—Multiple Bylined Investigative Reports, Spot News Reports, Serial Reports, Features, or Columns—Covering Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Mortgage, Finance or Home Design
First Place Winner with Special Judges’ Citation for Outstanding Journalism: Allen Norwood, Binyamin Appelbaum, Lisa Hammersly, Ted Mellnik, Peter St. Onge, Stella M. Hopkins, Liz Chandler, Mike Drummond, Pam Kelley, Gary Schwab and Patrick Scott, The Charlotte Observer
Judges' Comment: “A comprehensive, exhaustive investigation into the year’s biggest story, this series detailed the far-reaching effect of the mortgage crisis in Charlotte, N.C. A mix of tough shoe-leather reporting and database mining unraveled the complicated trail of real estate fraud and predatory lending in the region. Particularly noteworthy was the in-depth investigation into Beazer Homes’ allegedly illegal lending and sales practices. Revealing a lack of government oversight at the local, state, and national levels, this was a stunning effort.”
Second Place: Mark Cook, Chas Sisk, Clay Carey, Jennifer Brooks, Leon Alligood, Kate Howard, John Partipilo, Shelley Mays, Steven Harman, Broc Borntrager, The Tennessean
Judges’ Comment: “This is a thorough professional investigation of the kinds of urban stresses faced by the Sunbelt’s ever-growing cities. The series shined a spotlight on the need for regional cooperation in the Nashville area. In presentation, reporting, and in illustrations, this series was top notch.”
Honorable Mention: Jim Wasserman and Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
Judges’ Comment: “In a highly readable series which used numerous interviews to good advantage, the writer brought home to Sacramento-region readers the local subprime lending crisis in the hardest hit areas. Particularly notable were the Web sites listed where readers could find in-depth information on where foreclosures had occurred. Indicative of the series’ success were the immediate code-enforcement investigations by the city.”
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NAREE, founded in 1929, is celebrating its 79th anniversary at its annual conference in Dallas, Texas. NAREE is the only professional association for the nation’s journalists covering residential and commercial real estate for the consumer, business, and trade media. NAREE members report on real estate finance, housing policy, the environment, urban growth, land use, investment, construction, design and related trends. Active members include editors, staff reporters, columnists and freelance writers working in print, broadcast and online media.
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