Sun honored for business, gaming coverage

Thursday, March 29, 2001 | 11:06 a.m.

The Las Vegas Sun was honored Wednesday by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) for having one of the three best business news sections in the nation in its circulation category.

In competition among daily newspapers with a circulation of 125,000 or less, SABEW judges selected three newspapers as "Best in Business" winners for overall excellence in their business sections: the Sun, the Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., and Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla.

The Sun was the only Nevada newspaper winning an award in SABEW's Best in Business contest for newspapers published in 2000.

Sun Business Editor Steve Green said the Sun was honored for work by business writers Richard N. Velotta, David Strow and Grace Leong, as well as for contributions by Sun news desk reporters, the Sun's photography and graphics departments and the Sun's copy and design desk.

The recent addition of business writer Kevin Ferguson and other planned additions to the Sun business staff will further bolster the newspaper's business coverage, Green said.

Judges in the Sun circulation category were Charles B. Camp, senior editor-Business News, the Dallas Morning News; Stephen H. Dunphy, business columnist, the Seattle Times; and Don Nelson, editor, Puget Sound Business Journal.

Green said he was pleased the judges recognized the Sun for its coverage of the casino gambling industry, which the Sun improved over the past few years beginning in 1998, including addition of a daily gaming page in the business section.

"This paper has a real devotion to local coverage, especially of the gaming industry," the SABEW judges wrote. "And it takes that role seriously with a specialization in the gaming industry that has real objectivity and an edge to it.

"Reporters here are working in a supercharged environment and willing to walk into stories with conflict. (It's) another example of a paper that reports with a sense of place. You do know where you are. Overall a good look to the section. Good photos. Very attractive, clean open look. It has the effect of having each story stand out," the judges wrote.

In discussing the 20 newspapers in the under 125,000-circulation category, the judges said: "Local enterprise and a sense of place had more to do with the finalists than circulation or staff size.

"An energetic staff was a key to quality business journalism. The value cannot be understated," the judges said.

SABEW said a record 492 entries were received from newspapers, business weeklies, wire services and business news online sites. Last year, the contest received a total of 246 entries.

Overall, 20 daily or weekly publications were named Best in Business for overall excellence.

Other daily newspaper winners for overall excellence in their circulation categories were the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, USA Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Orange County Register, Oregonian, Austin American-Statesman, Richmond Times-Dispatch, St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Hartford Courant.

The Society of American Business Editors and Writers Inc., headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Mo., is an association of more than 3,000 business journalists in North America. Formed in 1964 to promote superior coverage of business and economic events and issues, it is the only educational business journalism association for editors and writers.