NEW YORK, NY (April 05 , 2017 ) – SourceMedia, a diversified digital B2B media company serving senior decision-makers in finance, technology and healthcare, won a commanding six honors at the 63rd annual Jesse H. Neal Awards ceremony in New York City.
Financial Planning, SourceMedia’s flagship brand serving the wealth management community, garnered four awards, including Best Website and Best Media Brand – making it the most-honored brand at the March 31 ceremony. SourceMedia’s industry flagship American Banker, received both the Best News Coverage Award for its analysis of the Wells Fargo scandal and the Timothy White Award for editorial leadership. Bestowed by Connectiv, The Business Media Association, the Neal Awards recognize and reward editorial excellence in business media. SourceMedia’s winning entries reflect the company’s consistent investment in top-quality content and leading-edge distribution platforms.
“SourceMedia has again distinguished itself as the leader when it comes to engaging professional communities through relevant, useful business information services,” said SourceMedia’s Chief Content Officer David Longobardi. “The six Neal Awards won by Financial Planning and American Banker show our editors and journalists at their customary best – anticipating and interpreting the most important events and galvanizing industry communities around our coverage.”
Financial Planning won the top honor in both the Best Media Brand and Best Website categories. Best Media Brand recognizes “overall editorial excellence.” Best Website honors sites that deliver “a compelling and relevant mix of content, ease of use, and audience engagement” and “consistently maximize the medium’s immediacy, depth, and interactivity.” Financial Planning was among the first SourceMedia brands to adopt the company’s new content management system and digital user experience.
Financial Planning also won Best Commentary/Blog for the work of contributor Allan S. Roth, and Best News Coverage for its reporting and analysis of the Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule. The Fiduciary Rule coverage was both broad and deep, with rich sourcing, varied points of view, and visual elements that brought the story to life. The Financial Planning team reported exclusive details on how financial firms were preparing for the rule, looked at how the incoming Trump administration could roll back the regulation, and tracked down the Labor secretary for in-the-moment reaction. On Twitter, both Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and a top aide to Donald Trump retweeted Financial Planning’s coverage.
American Banker likewise won for work on a topic of national significance, taking home the Best News Coverage award for reporter Kate Berry’s assessment of the cross-selling abuses at Wells Fargo. American Banker’s coverage extended well beyond the day’s headlines, delving deep into the implications of the scandal, not only for Wells but for the industry as a whole: How would the scandal affect the cross-selling strategies and sales incentives at other institutions? Would it fuel anti-bank sentiment in Congress and elsewhere? What could other companies learn from Wells’ PR missteps?
Also at the ceremony, Rob Blackwell, Washington bureau chief for American Banker and SourceMedia’s Group Editorial Director for Regulatory Policy, received the Timothy White Award for exemplary editorial leadership. The Award, established in 2002, recognizes business editors whose work continuously displays courage, integrity and passion.
In his acceptance speech, Blackwell said: “We’re here to tell the truth without fear or favor. To cut through the noise and spin and produce rock-solid reporting and analysis, and then stand on that rock. The truth will always be our best and most effective ally.”
About SourceMedia
SourceMedia, an Observer Capital company, is a business-to-business digital marketing services, subscription Information, and event company serving senior-level professionals in the financial, technology and healthcare sectors. Brands include American Banker, PaymentsSource, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning, Accounting Today, Mergers & Acquisitions, National Mortgage News, Employee Benefit News and Health Data Management.
Contact:
Petra Hailu
(212) 803-8331
petra.hailu@sourcemedia.com