The Information Wins Four SABEW Awards for Tech, Finance and Transportation
The Information won four awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing for its 2024 reporting on Tesla, TikTok, Stripe, as well as the growing market for private stock investing.
Members of the industry group also awarded four honorable mentions for The Information articles on chip giant TSMC, a U.S. trade loophole exploited by China-founded bargain sites and failures of consumer startups.
“In a crazy competitive news cycle, we stood our ground and expanded our impact,” Founder and CEO Jessica Lessin said in a message to staff.
The Information won the Banking and Finance award for a series on compliance shortfalls at big payments providers and social media companies; the Technology division for reporting on TikTok’s moves to prevent a U.S. ban; the Transportation award for reporting on Tesla; and the Investing and Markets award for reporting on the secondary market for private startup shares.
Below are links to the articles and comments from the judges, who are chosen from business newsrooms across the U.S. Because of the size of its newsroom, The Information competes in the small division.
Banking and Finance, winner
Risky Online Payments
Michael Roddan, Qianer Liu
TikTok Owner ByteDance Misled Regulators on Payments Probe
Stripe’s Challenges With Wells Fargo, Goldman Highlight Payments Risks
Citi Cut Off Temu Payments After Visa Raised Concerns
“The Information’s reporting on how fast-growing fintechs like Stripe and Temu have left themselves wide open to money launderers drew on outstanding sourcing, careful use of records and clear explanation.”
Technology, winner
TikTok’s High-Wire Act in Washington
Juro Osawa, Jing Yang, Sri Muppidi, Erin Woo
TikTok Spent Years Developing Data Security Plan: Washington Ignored It
As TikTok Faces Ban Bill, Investors Distance Themselves From App
How TikTok Courted Conservatives Before Trump’s Win
“Skillfully reported series that peeled back deliberations within TikTok and among its investors as it tried to stay afloat. Reporters Juro Osawa, Jing Yang, Sri Muppidi and Erin Woo did a masterful job sourcing these stories and mapping out how the company dismantled its own content moderation policies as part of a lobbying strategy of cozying up to conservatives.
Their work highlighted the implications of the company’s move to allow falsehoods and anti-transgender posts to spread on its platform. The team’s writing was clear, well-structured and dramatic.”
Travel/Transportation, winner
Turmoil at Tesla
Steve LeVine, Becky Peterson
Musk Plans More Layoffs as Two Senior Tesla Executives Depart
At Tesla, a Wild Week That Defined the Company’s Future
The Electric: Thinking the Unthinkable—Tesla Without Elon Musk
“The Information’s Tesla coverage is our winner thanks to its scoops, strong narrative and crucial takeaways. The judges were impressed by the degree of detail, rigorous research and story structure in the reporting on one of the most high-profile companies in the world.”
Investing/Markets, winner
Who Needs an IPO?
Cory Weinberg, Sri Muppidi
How Investment Banks Are Helping Canva, Stripe, Figma Stay Private
Databricks Considers Raising Cash to Resolve Employee Stock Squeeze
Special Funds Offer Shares of SpaceX and OpenAI—for a Price
“This trio offers a high-impact, deeply reported look into the evolving world of private market investing. Each story is exclusive and well-sourced, revealing important trends affecting major startups and investors. Well done.”
Explanatory, honorable mention
Trade ‘Loophole’ Spurs New Retail Economy
Theo Wayt, Ann Gehan
How U.S. Sellers Are Embracing Trade ‘Loophole’ That Has Boosted Shein and Temu
Flood of Shein and Temu Packages Sparks Delivery Startup Gold Rush
E-Commerce Sellers, Logistics Startups Reshuffle Among Trade Crackdown
“Theo Wayt and Ann Gehan at The Information explained how an obscure, century old US trade provision designed to let tourists bring home souvenirs from overseas fueled the rise of Shien and Temu and has sent US companies scrambling to set up warehouses in Canada and Mexico. Great anecdotes and detailed reporting brought a potentially abstract policy problem to life.”
International reporting, honorable mention
TSMC at Center of U.S. – China Tension
Qianer Liu
U.S. Probes TSMC’s Dealings With Huawei
TSMC Cut Off Chinese Crypto Mogul’s Firm as US Probes Huawei Link
TSMC’s Push to Be Tech’s Switzerland in Doubt as U.S.-China Tensions Grow
“The Information broke important news in this entry and laid out the complicated and serious implications of the story. TSMC, the giant chipmaker in Taiwan, is caught between competing and conflicting interests in China and the US. The Information went beyond the news, explaining stakes and the potential worldwide impact on prices of everything from cars to computers. The story was well reported and well written and is an important “get” at a time when other news organizations were focused elsewhere.”
Retail, honorable mention
What’s Really in Your Shopping Cart? Shein and Temu’s Hidden Costs
Jing Yang, Ann Gehan, Theo Wayt
U.S. Escalates Crackdown on Trade Rule Behind Shein and Temu
Temu Flip-Flopped on Cotton Policy Meant to Weed Out Forced Labor
On Shein and Temu, Deadly Baby Goods Are Easy to Find
“The Information’s coverage of Shein and Temu revealed that the bargain sites have been exploiting loopholes to avoid restrictions on the use of forced labor and the sale of dangerous goods, including baby products. This is deep reporting with impact, spurring government action on labor and trade practices. The raison d’etre of business journalism is listening to what companies are saying and then reporting on whether they are really following through — and if not, showing the impact. That’s just what the reporters here did, laying bare the companies’ hollow promises to take compliance “very seriously.”
Small business, honorable mention
Crunch Time for Consumer Funders
Ann Gehan
A Lender to Buzzy Brands Is Scrambling, Highlighting Consumer Crunch
Once-Hot Bagel Startup Has Dough Problems
“This series delivers a powerful autopsy of prominent food and beverage startup failures. Through deep reporting, the series exposes a confluence of contributing elements: challenging macroeconomic conditions impacting financing options, overhyped consumer concepts, and fundamental flaws in business planning. The reporting also serves as a critical examination of how venture capital is reshaping the traditional food and beverage industry.”