The Alliance of Area Business Publishers awarded Arkansas Business two gold and one bronze awards Sunday at its three-day annual Summer Conference in Baltimore.
Senior Editor Mark Friedman won both gold awards, one for best scoop in the print category for large newspapers and another for best local coverage of a national business/economic story.
The best scoop award went to Friedman’s October 2013 cover story on an estimated $14.7 million Medicare fraud by a Mountain Home doctor.
"Mr. Friedman’s sharp eyes while combing through federal forfeiture filings put him on the trail of a deceased cardiologist who had racked up millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare billings before he died," the judges wrote. "His story represents meticulous and timely reporting on a scandal that illustrates the vulnerability of one of the nation’s largest entitlement programs."
The best local coverage award went to Friedman’s March 25, 2013 cover story on a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that invalidated a legal strategy used in Miller County.
"The hustle, contacts and hard work of reporter Mark Friedman shine throughout this tale of law firms earning millions by manipulating the court system," the judges wrote. "Some publications would have gotten a comment from a jurist and written three paragraphs and inserted them into the national story. Arkansas Business broke a huge story with massive implications for its readership."
In both categories, Arkansas Business competed against major business publications including the Los Angeles Business Journal, Crain’s New York Business, Crain’s Chicago Business and Business North Carolina.
Editor Gwen Moritz and Managing Editor Jan Cottingham also won a bronze award for best headline writing.
The Alliance's annual competition honors excellence in journalism, photography and design achieved by regional business publications. Twenty-seven judges are comprised of faculty members from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, with qualifications in respective area of expertise.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Alliance is a nonprofit national organization representing 64 independent magazine and newspaper members in the United States, Canada and Australia.
