(12 entries)

Judge: Clint Riley, South Jersey Courier-Post
Riley, a reporter with the South Jersey Courier-Post, won a 1999 IRE award for "Force in Disarray," an investigation of police problems in New Jersey's poorest and most violent city.

First Place
JERRY KAMMER
The Arizona Republic
"Beijing connection"
"Don Bolles would be proud. The newspaper's investigation into questionable business dealings by a Phoenix-based corporation overseen by the Chinese government is an example of how to small the world really is today, and how little distance reporters must travel to find an international story right in their own backyards. Stories detailing Elizabeth Mann, her business dealings and the company she kept were tightly written and well investigated. More importantly, the stories were fascinating and in the public's highest interest. The reporter(s) are true watchdogs for spotlighting a U.S. Embassy official in charge of issuing U.S. visas in Beijing that accepted free lodging and perhaps other favors from a corporation owned by the Chinese government. The newspaper also should be commended for its through and innovative reporting, going so far that it tracked down experts in Mandarin Chinese and linguistics to help it check out the story of a whistle blower."

Second Place
MATT DOIG, JOHN DOUGHERTY, PATTI EPLER, CHRIS FARNSWORTH, GILBERT GARCIA, JAMES HIBBERD, DAVID HOLTHOUSE, MICHAEL KIEFER, MICHAEL LACEY, LAURA LAUGHLIN, EDWARD LEBOW, TONY ORTEGA, PAUL RUBIN, AMY SILVERMAN and TERRY GREENE STERLING
Phoenix New Times
"Hard Core"
"The approach of two investigative projects could not be more different than the first and second place winners. Outstanding writing and detail, detail and more detail are what set this lengthy investigative series apart from almost everybody else's work. In 20 parts, spanning a year, the New Times covered what 10 years of local press coverage and a book on gang influence in Phoenix likely could have never done. The stories were fresh and the writing honest and gritty. Gangbangers, cops, politicians, community leaders, teachers, social workers and at-risk kids all had a clear voice on an important topic that's often handled by the media in a far less honest and fair manner. New Times broke from the pack when politicians and the national media focused on the tragedy at Columbine High. The newspaper showed how much more a threat gangs are to our children's safety than threat of anyone being killed randomly at a school. These articles should be required reading for all criminal justice reporters, urban affairs reporters and social services reporters."

Third Place
ENRIC VOLANTE and RHONDA BODFIELD SANDER
Arizona Daily Star
"Protection didn't work"
"I hated science class, but I loved these stories on Beryllium. The reporter(s) took a topic that could have been a chore to read about and made me want to read on. Human stories made all the difference. Graphics and fact boxes helped too. These stories were a true public service."

Honorable Mention
SUSIE STECKNER and JODIE M. SNYDER
The Arizona Republic
"History of trouble at clinics"
"The newspaper's well-researched, cross-country investigation into abortion clinics owned by New York doctor Moshe Hachamovitch is what earned this story a mention. The story might have placed higher if it was written a little less like an official report on the doctor and the troubles at his clinics."