International Wheel Award Winners Announced at NAIAS
10 January 2000
Year 2000 International Wheel Award Winners Announced at North American International Auto Show DETROIT, Jan. 9 -- Winners in the 2000 International Wheel
Awards competition for journalistic excellence were announced and awards
presented today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at
Cobo Center here.
Journalists from USA Today and The Detroit News won the contest's coveted
Golden Wheel awards. Winning entries, "Death by the Gallon," by
James R. Healey of USA Today, and "Car Seats -- Is Your Child Safe?," by
Lisa Zagaroli of The Detroit News, also won first places in News Reporting --
Newspapers.
Judges described Healy's story as an "important piece (that) demonstrates
how well-intentioned laws can cause the manufacture of products that can
result in loss of life." They said Zagaroli's entry was, "compelling...
strong, descriptive writing, a good mix of statistics and human touch... with
specific examples that illustrate real-life consequences of mistakes by both
manufacturers and consumers."
Entries for the annual competition had to have been published or aired
during the industry's 1999 model year that ended Sept. 30.
Other first place winners and their categories were:
* News Reporting -- General Interest Magazines: "The Auto Baron,"
Karen Lowry with and Joann Muller, Business Week.
* News Reporting -- Special Interest Publications: "Wagon's Ho!,"
Bill Visnic, Andrea Wielgat, and Drew Winter, Ward's Auto World.
* Editorial/Column -- Print Media: "More Mergers, Dumb Ideas,"
Alex Taylor, Fortune,
* News Programming/Documentary -- Broadcast Media: "WinterTires,"
Richard Wright, Producer, Marketplace, Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
(Toronto).
* Product Review -- Print Media: "S80 Takes Steps Beyond all Limits of
Volvo," Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune.
The Wheel Awards -- including $10,000 in cash prizes -- were presented by
Joe Weaver, board member and immediate past president of the sponsoring
Detroit Press Club Foundation, during the press preview days that precede the
Saturday, Jan. 15, formal opening of the auto show.
Stylized wheel trophies and a $1,000 cash prize were presented to each of
the contest's first place winners. Each Golden Wheel winner received an
additional $2,500. Their entries were selected from among all first place
winners as Best of the Best in their respective medium.
The contest was established by the 35-year-old foundation as an extension
of its charter to promote excellence in journalism, and in recognition of
Detroit's and Michigan's global significance in the auto industry, according
to Edward Lapham, DPCF president and editor of Automotive News.
Winners were selected from among more than 142 entries from news media in
the United States and Canada. They competed in four categories: Best story
by medium, and "all print" and "all broadcast" categories including
editorial/commentary, news programming/documentary and product evaluation.
Judging was conducted by faculty members at the University of Nebraska's
College of Journalism and Mass Communications under the direction of
Dean Will Norton, Jr.
Following is a list of winners in the Detroit Press Club Foundation's 2000
International Wheel Award.
CATEGORY: Golden Wheel
To those whose work is judged "Best of the Best" from among all entries
* Print: CO-Winners: "Death by the Gallon," James R. Healey, USA Today;
"Car Seats -- is Your Child Safe?," Lisa Zagaroli, The Detroit News.
* Broadcast: No Golden Wheel winners.
CATEGORY: News Reporting
* Newspapers: 1st Place Co-Winners: "Death by the Gallon,"
James R. Healey USA Today; "Car Seats -- Is Your Child Safe?,"
Lisa Zagaroli, The Detroit News; 2nd Place: "End of the Line for Buick
City," Charlotte Craig, Ted Evanoff, Rachel Konrad, and
Joycelyn Parker, Detroit Free Press; 3rd Place: "Good-bye, Chrysler,
Ruby Bailey, Jennifer Bott, Charlotte Craig, Rachel Konrad, and
Doron Levin, Detroit Free Press, Honorable Mentions: "Ford Will Buy
Volvo," The Detroit News Auto Team, The Detroit News; "Nasser: Change
Ford Culture," David Welch, The Detroit News.
* General Interest Magazines: 1st Place: "The Auto Baron," Karen Lowry
with Joann Muller, Business Week; 2nd Place: "In Search of the
SuperCar," Daniel McGinn and Adam Rogers, Newsweek; 3rd Place: "Honda:
Can the Company Go It Alone?," Kathleen Kerwin and Emily Thorton with
Karen Lowry Miller and Keith Naughton, Business Week.
* Special Interest Publications: 1st Place: "Wagon's Ho!," Bill Visnic,
Andrea Wielgat and Drew Winter, Ward's Auto World; 2nd Place:
"Cadillac Search for its Roots," Barbara McClellan, David Smith,
Bill Visnic, Andrea Wielgat, and Drew Winter, Ward's Auto World;
3rd Place: "Modular Mania," Lindsay Brooke, Gerry Kobe, Norman Martin,
and Maijorie Sorge, Automotive industries. Honorable mention: "Pump
this," Dan Neil, Car & Driver.
CATEGORY: Editorial/Column -- Print Media
1st Place: "More Mergers, Dumb Ideas," Alex Taylor, Fortune; 2nd Place:
"Dumbing Down Design," Drew Winter, Ward's Auto World; 3rd Place: "In 1998,
Speed Still Didn't Kill," Csaba Caere, Car and Driver; Honorable Mentio:
"Airbags Kill More Kids Than School Shootings," Patrick Bedard, Car & Driver.
CATEGORY: News Programming/Documentary
Broadcast Media: 1st Place: "Winter Tires," Richard Wright -- Producer,
Marketplace, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (Toronto); 2nd Place: "Motorweek,"
John Davis -- Producer, Maryland Public Television; 3rd Place; "Motoring 99,"
Brad Diamond -- Producer, The Sports Network (Toronto); Honorable Mention:
"Gold and Glory Sweepstakes," Todd Gould and John Seneff, Auto Week on
Speedvision.
CATEGORY: Product Review -- Print Media
1st Place: "S80 Takes Steps Beyond all Limits of Volvo," Jim Mateja,
Chicago Tribune; 2nd Place: "The Space Race," Staff, Automobile; 3rd Place.
"He Drove, She Drove," Anita and Paul Lienert The Detroit News; Honorable
Mentions: "From Winnebago via Volkswagen, it's the Motel V-6," Paul Dean,
Los Angeles Times; "This Baby Seats a Bleacherful of Soccer Moms,"
Alex Taylor, Fortune.
Note: No CATEGORY winners in Radio or TV Reporting.
