Worcester Business Journal on Saturday was named the second best medium-sized business newspaper in the industry, along with being honored for its investigative, feature and breaking news stories at the annual conference of the Alliance of Area Business Publishers in Atlanta.
“Day after day, I’m amazed by the quality and quantity of important news and feature stories produced by WBJ’s relatively small and hard-working staff,” WBJ Editor Brad Kane said. “To be celebrated by an organization like AABP — comprised of our peer publications — certainly is an outstanding affirmation of all those efforts.”
WBJ competed against 40 other business journals from the U.S., Canada and Australia. After being classified as a small-sized business journal in previous years, this was WBJ’s first year competing in the medium-sized category, which included larger market publications from places like Arkansas, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Virginia and North Carolina, as well as WBJ sister publications MaineBiz and Hartford Business Journal.
In selecting WBJ as the second best business journal — BizTimes Milwaukee was first — the judges from the University of Missouri School of Journalism praised WBJ’s design, strong news stories and diversity.
“Hard-hitting journalism that’s unafraid, the reporting has bite,” the judges wrote. “This publication takes on subjects like an overhyped corporate rebirth and the paucity of female execs at local companies. Diversity appears throughout, not just in photos but as sources. The design is excellent, from engaging covers that grab attention to the use of different type weights to help in navigation.”
In addition to winning the Silver Award in the Best Newspaper category, WBJ won Gold Awards in the Best Investigative, Best Feature and Best Coverage of Local Breaking News categories, all in the medium-sized grouping.
Staff Writer Zachary Comeau won the Best Feature first-place award for his Sept. 3 in-depth look at the 15-year history of how Worcester successfully coaxed the Pawtucket Red Sox to relocate to the Canal District for the 2021 season.
“Solid reporting and compelling writing fuel this behind-the-scenes tale while sidebars and graphics bolster the story and provide context,” the judges wrote.
News Editor Grant Welker won the Best Investigative first-place award for the six-part series The Boardroom Gap, which revealed how Central Massachusetts lagged behind state and national averages in having women in positions of power in business.
“It took five months to document the striking lack of gender and pay equity in Central Massachusetts, but the outcome is quite revealing. As an example, of 78 public-company executives, only six are women, and male executives make nearly three times the salary of female executives. This is the kind of smart, meticulous reporting that can shift a culture,” the judges wrote.
Welker previously was honored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association for The Boardroom Gap investigation, and in April he was named the top non-daily reporter by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors.
Comeau and Welker combined to win AABP’s Best Coverage of Local Breaking News first-place award for their work on the Aug. 17 announcement by the City of Worcester and the Pawtucket Red Sox of the team moving to a new $101-million Canal District stadium.
“The writers went beyond the basics of the deal and told how the plan might affect redevelopment in the area. Also, they reached out for input to critics of the deal,” the judges wrote.
In total, WBJ’s parent company New England Business Media took home 10 AABP awards on Saturday. Hartford Business Journal was named the Most Improved Publication, along with winning three awards in the Best Editorial, Best Scoop and Best Investigative categories. MaineBiz won two awards in the Best Overall Design and Best Local Coverage of a National Business Story categories.
