From Best Business Stories of the Year: 2004 Edition
“Up Against Wal-Mart” by Karen Olsson
Mother Jones

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Best in Business winners for overall excellence, by category and listed in alphabetical order are (Judges could name up to five winners in each category):

GIANT: (Newspapers with average daily circulation 350,001 and above)
Boston Globe
Los Angeles Times
Dallas Morning News
Judges:
Bob Frick – Associate Editor, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Stephen D. Solomon- Associate professor and director of business and economic reporting at New York University
Matt Winkler – Editor-In-Chief, Bloomberg News

LARGE: (Newspapers with circulation 225,001-350,000)
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Charlotte Observer
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
San Jose Mercury News
Certificate of Merit Winners:
Miami Herald
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Judges:
R. Dean Mills – Dean, Univ. of Missouri School of Journalism
John Winn Miller – Editor, Tallahassee Democrat
Mark Howard – editor, Florida Trend magazine

MEDIUM: (Newspapers with circulation 100,001-225,000)
The Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
St. Paul Pioneer-Press
Des Moines Register
Certificate of Merit Winners:
Contra Costa Times
Judges:
Nolan Finley – Deputy Managing Editor, The Detroit News
David Haynes – Senior Editor: Business News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Todd Nissen – Correspondent, Reuters America Inc.

SMALL: (Newspapers with circulation under 100,000)
The Columbian, (Vancouver, Wash.)
Florida Today (Melbourne, Fla.)
Certificate of Merit Winner:
Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Judges:
Kate Lee Butler – Senior Business Team Leader, The Orange County Register
Scott Fagerstrom – Business Editor, Union-Tribune
Mark Hester – Business Editor, The Oregonian

BUSINESS WEEKLIES:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Washington Business Journal
Los Angeles Business Journal
The Denver Business Journal
Certificate of Merit Winners:
Interactive Week
Crain’s Detroit Business
South Florida Business Journal
Judges:
Patrick Chu – Editor, Bloomberg News
Paul Davidson – Technology writer, USA Today Money Section
Pam Feibish – Business Editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Best in Business Spot News winners, by category and in alphabetical order are: (Judges could name up to three winners in each category)

GIANT: (Newspapers with circulation over 350,001)
The Boston Globe, “Fleet to acquire BankBoston”
The Star Tribune (Minneapolis), “Honeywell sold to N.J. firm”
Honorable Mentions:
Detroit Free Press, “Detroit Wins High-Tech Prize”

LARGE: (Newspapers with circulation 225,001-350,000)
The Kansas City Star, “Merger About Growth”
The Sacramento Bee, “Packard Bell NEC bailing out”
San Jose Mercury News, “HP breaks up”
Honorable Mention:
San Antonio Express-News, “Clear Dominance”
Tampa Tribune, “Florida Progress sale near”

MEDIUM: (Newspapers with circulation 100,001-225,000)
Des Moines Register, “AccessAir shuts down, files for bankruptcy”
The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.), “AstraZeneca picks Delaware”
Honorable Mention:
Virginian-Pilot, “A deal? Yes. An end? Maybe.”

SMALL: (Newspapers with circulation up to 100,000)
Durham Herald-Sun (“Liggett signals end of era”)
Durham Herald-Sun (“RDU lands low-cost, no-frills Southwest”)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat (“OCLI’s stock soars on buyout”)
Honorable Mention:
The Patriot Ledger (“Shutdown is a jolt to workers”)

WEEKLIES:
Atlanta Business Chronicle (“Change Afoot at A&P”)
Crain’s Detroit Business (“Little Caesar Shuts Stores”)
Kansas City Business Journal (“Sale of the Century”)
Honorable mention:
Dallas Business Journal (“Mattel Plotting Huge Facility”)

REAL-TIME:
Bloomberg News, “Microsoft President Ballmer Says Tech Stocks Overpriced,”
Bridge News, “Bank of America earnings boost result of one-time gain,”
Spot News Judges:
Cherrill Crosby – Assistant Managing Editor, Wilmington News-Journal
Jamie Heller – Editor of Strategic Ventures, The Street.com
Diana B. Henriques – Reporter, The New York Times
Peter Mancusi – Business Editor, The Boston Globe
Josh Mills – Professor and director, Graduate Program in Business Journalism, Baruch College of CUNY