The Robert Spiers Benjamin Award 2005

Best reporting in any medium on Latin America

AWARD YEAR: 2005

AWARD NAME: The Robert Spiers Benjamin Award 2005

RECIPIENTS: Bob Davis, Matt Moffett, David Luhnow, Geraldo Samor, John Lyons, John D. Mckinnon

AFFILIATION: The Wall Street Journal

HONORED WORK: “The Failure Of Reform”

In insightful, wide-ranging reporting оп the crucial question in Latin America: “Why has reform failed?” The Wall Street Journal’s Latin American staff analyzed the region’s shift to the left after the apparent failure of free-market policies. Brazil’s struggles for economic take-off are shown mired in red tape, corruption, and snail-paced justice. Argentina’s efforts to give property titles to some squatters visibly succeed while neighbors not yet owning titles languish. Mexico’s educational divide stifles social and entrepreneurial mobility generation after generation. Weaving unusual subjects into broader analyses of trade, political, and economic trends, the in-depth reports suggest that there is no single reason for the failure of reform and certainly no single solution.

Citation for Excellence:

Gary Marx
Chicago Tribune
“On the Ground in Cuba”