Sun wins top award for business, gaming coverage

Friday, March 29, 2002 | 11:55 a.m.

The Las Vegas Sun has been honored for the second consecutive year for having one of the best business news sections in the nation among newspapers of its size.

The Sun this week was named a Best in Business winner by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Other winners in the Sun's category of up to 125,000 circulation were the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press-Democrat and the Waterbury Republican-American in Connecticut.

Judges for the category were from the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County (Calif.) Business Journal and the Orange County Register.

The Sun was among six newspapers to win Best in Business awards in both 2001 and 2002.

Sun Business Editor Steve Green said the Sun was honored for the work in 2001 of business writers Richard N. Velotta, David Strow and Grace Leong, as well as for the work in the business section by the Sun's copy desk, photography and graphics staffs and for contributions by Sun metro desk reporters.

In reviewing the winning newspapers, judges noted the Sun's aggressive coverage of the gaming industry.

"Casinos are having a tough time and this paper is aggressively covering the biggest story in town," the judges wrote. "These guys don't mince words. Some might complain there's a lack of business diversity in the coverage and that there must be something other in Vegas than gaming -- or some angle for a business story that doesn't seem to ask what such and such a story means to the gaming industry. Still, these people bust news on the beat that they've chosen as priority one."

Green said he was gratified at the recognition for the Sun because the newspaper's owners have invested heavily in business news coverage during the past four years. During this period the Sun has added business writing positions, created a standalone business section, launched a daily gaming news section and invested in additional financial news and information services.

Other daily newspapers honored as Best in Business by SABEW were: