The Real Deal won two Best in Business Awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the organization announced Thursday.
TRD received the general excellence award for an industry publication for series of stories published last year. These included Konrad Putzier’s investigation into an alleged co-working Ponzi scheme involving BarWorks, Putzier’s story revealing that George Soros was the secret financier behind a Kushner-backed real estate finance startup, as well as his and Mark Maurer’s look into the different tricks employed by retail landlords to increase rent rolls. There was also Katherine Clarke and Will Parker’s in-depth profile on Brad Zackson, the real estate fixer for Donald Trump’s embattled former campaign manager, Paul Manafort.
The committee at SABEW said TRD‘s reporting “set a high standard for what is expected.”
Also included was “Real estate’s diversity problem,” by Kathryn Brenzel, Rich Bockmann and Elizabeth Kim, which explored the challenges faced by minorities in what is a traditionally male-dominated industry. That story also won in the feature category for small publications.
In announcing the win, SABEW called the feature “a comprehensive and compelling narrative” that exposed discriminatory practices in a clubby, male-dominated industry. — TRD