NAREE's 55th Annual Real Estate Journalism Award Winners
/NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE EDITORS ANNOUNCES JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS EMBARGOED UNTIL 1 PM EDT June 4, 2005 Washington (June 4, 2005) – The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) today announced the winners of its 55th Annual Journalism Awards. For over half a century, the awards program has recognized excellence in real estate and building design industry reporting, writing and editing. Entries from professional journalists from across the U.S. were received in 20 different categories during this year’s NAREE competition. NAREE journalism awards total more than $6,000 and this year's first place overall individual category winner received a $1,250 award. All first place category winners were awarded a $250 stipend and all winners received a certificate of excellence. The award winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. The judging panel was chaired by Professor Patrick S. Washburn, a former news reporter and editor. NAREE, founded in 1929, is celebrating its 76th anniversary at its annual conference in Washington, D.C. NAREE is the only professional association for the nation’s journalists covering residential and commercial real estate for the consumer and trade media. 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. This year’s award recipients include:
Best Overall Entry by an Individual (chosen from categories 1-11) Winner: Carrie Alexander, Orlando Sentinel – “The Green Revolution” Second Place: Jim Weiker, Columbus Dispatch – “Selling on Hope, Buying on Faith” Comment on Winner: “Carrie Alexander’s work was not an investigative story that required a great amount of subterfuge and digging through secret documents; rather it was a heavily researched and sourced enterprise series of stories. These are the types of articles that are a great benefit to home buyers, home owners, and home builders because of the amount of information that they make available to readers, and they may have a far greater impact on the environment and all of our futures as well as future home owners than some of the most important investigative reporting done in real estate journalism. Helping these articles was the writer’s obvious knowledge of new products and designs in the green revolution that she wrote about. This was a very impressive piece of work.”
James D. Carper Award for Best Entry by a Young Journalist Winner: Laura Coleman, California Real Estate Journal -- "We're Providing the 'There' There" Second Place: Kelly Kutchinsky, Real Estate New York -- "Developments of Olympic Proportions" Comment on Winner: “Using the news peg of a new open-air shopping center in the area, Laura Coleman placed this in the context of a national movement toward retail lifestyle centers. The result was an article that described demographic, psychographic, and building trends that are influencing the next generation of American retailing. The article, which was much more sophisticated than would be expected from a story about a shopping center opening, made ample use of expert sources to build its context.”
Category 1: Best Newspaper Report (More Than 250,000 Circulation) Winner: Jim Weiker, Columbus Dispatch-- "Selling on Hope, Buying on Faith" Second Place: Roger Showley, San Diego Union-Tribune -- "A Slow Recovery" Comment on Winner: “Jim Weiker’s article about a real estate agent who was selling properties for far more they were worth, according to property assessments, is a great example of a newspaper performing a major service for readers. While this might have simply been another story of possible unethical behavior based on a small number of complaints, the writer identified 170 questionable sales and then went out and talked to numerous victims of this dubious sales practice. As a result, readers not only heard about the dangers that this practice posed, but the writer actually showed them example after example of the consequences for lower-income families whose voices were heard in this article. This is great journalism.”
Category 2: Best Newspaper Report (150,000 to 250,000 Circulation) Winner: J. Martin McOmber, Seattle Times --"Our Billion-Dollar Runway" Second Place: Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman -- "Real Estate Empire Built from the Bottom Up" Comment on Winner: “J. Martin McOmber took a national story, which was the need for expanded airport facilities, and localized it by documenting the difficulties, opposition, and increasing costs involved in a two-decade long effort to expand the Seattle-Tacoma airport. This is an example of quality journalism serving the public information needs of the readers.”
Category 3: Best Newspaper Report (Less than 150,000 Circulation) Winner: Sharon Simonson, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal -- "Intero Share Leaps into the Top Tier" Second Place: Penelope Biver, Chicago Agent Magazine -- "MLSNI an Exclusive Interview with Jay Huffman" Comment on Winner: “Sharon Simonson’s article, which is about the leading brokerages in her area of California, went beyond listing which brokerages were the largest in market share. She noted a brokerage that had leap-frogged onto the top tier and used that as a segue into the national issue of brokerage consolidation into ever fewer institutions. In doing so, she folded national information about this pattern into her local story.”
Category 4: Best General Circulation Magazine Report Winner: Michael Blanding, Boston Magazine -- "The Biggest Bang for Your Buck" Second Place: Chris Taylor, Smart Money -- "Building Your Dream Home" Comment on Winner: “This article tackled the real estate mantra ‘location, location, location.’ As such, it represented the perfect candidate for the most well read article in a city magazine such as Boston Magazine. The story was personalized, rich in data, linked local real estate market factors with national trends, and informed the reader about the real estate costs in various towns in the Boston area. As such, it met the readers’ particular needs. For the reader who would prefer to avoid the solid writing in the article, the piece abounded with info graphics that presented a staggering amount of information.”
Category 5: Best Trade Magazine Report Winner: John Caulfield, Builder Magazine -- "Barriers to Entry" Second Place: Meghan Drueding, Residential Architect Magazine -- "Revisions of Home" Comment on Winner: “This article stood out because of its use of undercover reporting to identify the presence of racial bias in builder-client relations and for its use of narration to tell the story and to relay the information gained by Builder Magazine’s research. Throughout the article, John Caulfield hammered home his points about the destructiveness of bias to builders’ success through a plethora of examples and anecdotes. The writing flowed easily in this classic example of trade magazine investigative reporting.”
Category 6: Best Online Report Winner: Richard Teitelbaum, Bloomberg News - "Zell's Bet on Silicone Valley Leaves Investors Footing the Bill" Second Place: Glenn Roberts, Inman News - "Crackdown on Mortgatge Elimination Scams" Comment on Winner: “Richard Teitelbaum used the form of a news-maker profile of a leading real estate investor to comment on the future value of commercial real estate in the San Francisco Bay area. What he found was an opportunity for real estate investment in what most people would view as a down market. The subject of his profile, however, who had lost a lot on paper, expected a turnaround, and the author wrote it in such a way as to move markets. The article was particularly noteworthy for its depth of information about the San Francisco Bay market as well as the investor who was profiled.”
Category 7: Best Broadcast Report (Radio, Television, Online) Winner: Glenn Haege, "The Handyman Show with Glenn Haege" Comment on Winner: “Glenn Haege performed a valuable radio service for home owners and those interested in buying homes by not only answering their call-in questions knowledgeably but by interviewing professionals in the industry. His knowledge of the field is impressive, and his answers were easy to understand and follow. He particularly is to be commended for not making those who called in feel like their questions were unimportant or a waste of time.”
Category 8: Best Freelance Report (All Media) -- "Lofty Plans in Easton" Winner: Rich Binsacca, Builder Magazine - "Satisfaction Guaranteed" Second Place: Beth Orenstein, Morning Call Comment on Winner: “Rich Binsacca did a good job of taking research data done exclusively for Builder Magazine and transforming it into valuable guidance for builders. The entire article demonstrated the benefits of considering the consumer’s needs first. The illustrative charts provided builders easy-to-access information to justify focusing on consumer service and consumer satisfaction.”
Category 9: Best Column (All Media) Winner: Mary Umberger, Chicago Tribune Second Place: Katherine Salant, Inman News Comment on Winner: “Mary Umberger connected with her readers, particularly those about to enter the real estate market as buyers or sellers. She focused on what makes entry into the market possible and did so in an interesting and easy to understand fashion. This applied to different forms of financing, expansions and contractions of financing opportunities, new requirements affecting owners of rental properties, and what current trends in real estate suggested about the future of the American home. Overall, her column is a must read for those in the Chicago area because her voice is the one of a natural narrator.”
Category 10: Best Serial Report (All Media) Winner: Carrie Alexander, Orlando Sentinel -- "The Green Revolution" Second Place: Bill Burnett, San Francisco Chronicle -- "The Cutting Edge, When Architecture Approaches Art" Comment by Winner: “In a stunning comprehensive package, Carrie Alexander wrote a series on the green revolution in housing that would interest buyers, real estate agents, developers, and builders. The writing is what judges expect to see in home and garden magazines rather than a daily newspaper. It incorporated apt examples and quotations from a wide variety of sources who were participating in this green revolution, and she approached her topic by keeping in mind the health of the planet and the physical and emotional health of the homeowners throughout the series. This is the type of writing of interest to numerous readers as well as the industry, and it should cause many to reconsider the design of their homes even though they may have ignored this in the past. The newspaper also should be congratulated on its graphic and informational presentation of the series.”
Category 11: Best Collection of Work by an Individual (All Media) Winner: Chris Taylor, Smart Money Second Place: Sandra Fleishman, Washington Post Comment on Winner: “In what the judges considered the strongest category in this year’s contest, Chris Taylor rose to the top because his articles could serve as a guidebook to the cost and popularity of various real estate high-end add-ons. His articles were well written with a lot of examples, using numerous sources and they cut a broad swath to various sections of the real estate market from outrageous dream homes to value-added recommendations for remodeling to the boomer vacation market.”
Category 12: Best Real Estate or Home Section (More than 250,000 Circulation) Winner: Maryann Haggerty, Washington Post Second Place: Daniel Gregory, Sunset Magazine Comment on Winner: “This section stood out because it regularly used major features, trend stories, and investigative articles that were locally produced. When it used syndicated material, it did so sparingly and selected articles from top real estate services and local free lancers. The judges were particularly impressed that writers were given the time to dig deeply into real estate issues, including some which were quite controversial.”
Category 13: Best Real Estate or Home Section (150,000 to 250,000 Circulation) Winner: Eloise DeHaan, Morning Call Second Place: Jerry Kronenberg and Paul Restuccia, Boston Herald Comment on Winner: “This section provided strong front pages graphically along with excellent writing that focused on topics of interest to the Allentown community. The judges particularly liked the blend of tabular information about real estate pricing in the area as well as stories and graphics about competition on two of the front pages. Inside the section, it also included an appropriate selection of syndicated stories and free-lance material.”
Category 14: Best Real Estate or Home Section (Less than 150,000 Circulation) Winner: Allyce Bess, Patrick Twohy, and Jim Gardner, San Francisco Business Times Second Place: Patrick Twohy, Steve Ginsberg, and Lizette Wilson, San Francisco Business Times Comment on Winner: “This section regularly addressed a major issue, controversy, or trend in the San Francisco Bay area. It did so in direct, news-feature prose, it did so comprehensively, and it backed its informative articles with excellent graphics and maps of major developments. The judges also found the photography and photo editing for the section to be outstanding, especially given the paper quality.”
Category 15: Best General Circulation Magazine Winner: Mary James and Carl Larsen, San Diego Union-Tribune Second Place: Adele Cygelman, The Robb Report Collection Comment on Winner: “The San Diego Home, which is a publication of the San Diego Union-Tribune, had content which is valuable to a wide readership interested in homes and home design from varied economic backgrounds. The design of the magazine, despite being loaded with advertising, managed to offer a variety of layouts, good color, and photography while speaking to average readers. For someone who is new to the San Diego area, it would be especially helpful in acclimating them to the different real estate developments.”
Category 16: Best Trade Magazine Winner: Boyce Thompson, Builder Second Place: Clare Conroy, Residential Architect Comment on Winner: “Although Builder does not use the most expensive paper or the most stunning photography, what it offers that many more sophisticated magazines do not do nearly so well is solid, informative writing throughout on multiple and varied topics of importance to those in the building industry. In addition to promoting products, designs, and practices in real estate building and development, it showed no fear about taking on controversial topics such as discriminatory treatment of potential buyers or clients. In this regard, John Caulfield’s expose on discriminatory practices stood out.”
Category 17: Best Real Estate Business Magazine Winner: Matt Valley, Frank Skinner, Parke Chapman, and Jared Reeder, National Real Estate Investor Second Place: Michael Gottlieb, California Real Estate Journal Comment on Winner: “This magazine is easy for readers to navigate, offerred a blend of trend stories and news stories of interest to a wide variety of real estate professionals, and straight-forward layouts with clean photography and supportive use of easy-to-read charts. The stories were carefully edited with no-nonsense prose. The judges particularly noted the extended feature story on consolidation in the brokerage industry and a special report on international opportunities.”
Category 18: Best Independent Newsletter Winner: Paul Fiorilla, Commercial Mortgage Alert Second Place: Jessica Heidgerken, Institutional Real Estate Letter Comment on Winner: “This thick newsletter was filled with short yet informative material, which was neatly packaged for its readers. It was particularly generous in the number of tables and graphs that it provided, and its liberal use of bold face type to emphasize the names of people and institutions involved in the various stories make it a guide to who is doing what in the industry.”
Category 19: Best Web Site Winner: Valerie Patterson, Laura Lorber, and Tony Lee, Wall Street Journal's RealEstateJournal.com Second Place: Glenn Haege, www.MasterHandyman.com Comment on Winner: “The web site is easy to navigate with information clearly marked by categories, and it contains a wealth of material for the average home buyer or seller. It offers a good mixture of feature and hard news as well as how-to information. This is packaged attractively.”
Category 20: Best Team Report (All Media) Winner: Tony Dorris, Christine Stapleton, John Paccenti, Larry Keller, Pat Beal, Deana Poole, and Tom Dubocq, Palm Beach Post --"Why Roofs Failed" Second Place: James Tyson and Monee Fields-White, Bloomberg News -- "Fannie Mae's Fall from Grace" Comment on Winner: This massive series of stories, all of which appeared on one day, demonstrated the enterprise and investigative drive of this newspaper team of reporters, photographers, and designers as they attempted to uncover and explain why the relatively weak hurricanes that struck Florida last year caused such serious damage to real estate long after building codes had been changed from previous storms. Using numerous interviews, examinations of building codes, and the questioning of local and state officials, the team put together a knowledgeable series of stories that were bound to be of prime interest to local readers. The stories provided a strong case for additional legislative action to protect housing from shoddy builders, and it called for greater research by the building industry. The series showed what newspapers can do if they are provided with the resources and time to tackle important stories.” ###
For more information contact Mary Doyle-Kimball at 561-391-3599 This news release is available online at www.naree.org