ASBPE to present 2011 ASBPE Journalism That Matters Award

Business journalism society to present The Spine Journal with coveted award during Azbee Award banquet Aug. 4 in Chicago.

Aug. 4, 2011 —The American Society Of Business Publication Editors will present The Spine Journal with the 2011 ASBPE Journalism That Matters Award during an award ceremony on the evening of Aug. 4, 2011 at Chicago’s Intercontinental Hotel. The awards ceremony is part of the 2011 ASBPE National Editorial Conference taking place Aug. 4-5 in Chicago.

The award is part of a program ASBPE created to recognize a B2B, association, or trade publication journalist whose coverage of an issue triggers a tangible change within government or industry. The award was inspired by the outstanding journalism featured in the book “Journalism That Matters: How Business to Business Editors Change the Industries They Cover” (Marion Street Press, 2006). The book showcases changes in government policy or industry practices as a result of articles written by B2B, association, and trade journalists.

This year’s recipient, The Spine Journal, took a major step toward protecting the integrity of all scientific publishing in its June 2011 issue. The special issue was devoted to “shining a critical light on the limitations of industry-sponsored research.”

The New York Times, which featured The Spine Journal special issue on its June 29 Business Day page, said that the journalism represented a watershed in the long-running debate over conflicts of interest for the sponsorship of scientific studies by makers of drugs and medical devices. The Spine Journal, an Elsevier publication, is the official, peer-reviewed medical publication of the North American Spine Society, based in Burr Ridge, Ill.

ASBPE first presented the Journalism That Matters Award in 2009.

UPDATE, 8/8/11:The New York Times’ Media Decoder blog has written about The Spine Journal’s award.