“Black Money” collaboration with PBS FRONTLINE earns Gerald Loeb Awards nomination

LOS ANGELES — Judy D. Olian, chairman of the G. and R. Loeb Foundation Inc. and dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management, has announced the finalists of the 2010 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.

“Black Money” — produced at the Investigative Reporting Program, which houses both PBS FRONTLINE West and its international newsmagazine FRONTLINE/World— examining the shadowy world of international bribery, was named a finalist in the Television Enterprise Category.

The story reveals how multi-national companies create slush funds, set up front companies, and make secret payments, all to get billions in business. But these practices are facing a new international crackdown, led by prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice and allies abroad. At the center of this is a controversial, ongoing investigation into the British-based multi-national BAE Systems and allegations about billion-dollar bribes.

“Black Money” was written and produced by Professor Lowell Bergman, director of the Investigative Reporting Program, and Oriana Zill de Granados. IRP Deputy Director Marlena Telvick and Dan Hirst were the film’s associate and field producers and reporters and share the honor with Professor Bergman.

The partnership between the J-School and PBS FRONTLINE has provided work for students and alums for more than a decade. Linsay Rousseau Burnett (’10), Helene Goupil (’10), Ali Winston (’10) and Sabrina Shankman (’10), provided research for the film, as did French visiting scholar Stefania Rousselle (’09). Former IRP Fellow Siri Schubert, as well as alums and IRP Fellows Carrie Lozano (MJ ’05) and Sam Kennedy (MJ ’01), contributed reporting. Alums Josiah Hooper (MJ ’98) and Josh Fisher (MJ ’07) provided additional camerawork and alum Matt Vree (MJ ’06) edited the companion website.

Initial funding for the project was provided to Marlena Telvick through a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Gerald Loeb Awards were established in 1957 by the late Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton. Loeb created the awards to encourage and support reporting on business and finance that would inform and protect the private investor and the general public. Journalists and media outlets nationwide submit entries to compete for the Loeb Awards, the most prestigious honor in business journalism.