At the 2023 ASBPE National Conference in Atlanta, Paul Heney, president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation, presented the fourth award in Journalism That Matters history to the Health Progress journal, published by the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

“I can’t think of anything more dear to my heart than for Health Progress to be recognized with the Journalism That Matters Award,” says editor Betsy Taylor, who accepted the award at the banquet. “Thank you to the ASBPE Educational Foundation for this honor.”

The award recognizes Sally J. Altman, lead reporter and writer, and a journalism team for the article, “63106: Not Just a Number, But a Barrier to Health and Economic Equity.” The piece is a collaborative effort produced as part of the Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson storytelling project, which draws attention to St. Louis’ most underserved communities. 

“In the years after the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, this nonprofit storytelling organization formed to focus on racial inequities in the St. Louis region. The project involved multiple media outlets and more than 30 area editors, reporters, broadcasters and visual journalists…It has allowed young journalists of color to learn from  journalists with more time in the profession,” Taylor said.

Important to note, and critical to eligibility for the Journalism That Matters Award, is that two things happened as a result of the piece. First, the local housing authority gave a housing voucher to one of the people featured in the article — after the piece highlighted how this person lost her place on the waiting list because of a hospitalization. And secondly, publication readers banded together to raise money for another person featured to replace a stolen automobile. 

Listen to Betsy Taylor’s description of the journalistic efforts Health Progress has contributed to the Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson project:

The Journalism That Matters Award was created in the early 2000s to showcase B2B work that has led to a material change in the industry or profession the publication covers. It was inspired by a book published by Marion Street Press, jointly supported by ASBPE and TABPI and edited by two past ASBPE national presidents, Rob Freedman and Steven Roll. The book featured a variety of case studies of change-causing B2B journalism.  “Journalism That Matters: How Business-to-Business Editors Change the Industries They Cover” is available on Amazon.

Today, the Journalism That Matters Award is supported by the ASBPE Educational Foundation and given out when the Foundation board believes that an article or series has sufficient merit. The ASBPE Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting education and excellence in the B2B media industry. To support the Journalism That Matters Award and other Foundation initiatives, you can make a tax-deductible individual or corporate donation to the ASBPE Educational Foundation.