Reporter wins top award for series

Post and Courier reporter Tony Bartelme has won a 2008 Gerald Loeb Award for a series of stories entitled "The China Effect," which included a look at a Charleston man's efforts to find a miracle cure for a spinal cord injury by seeking stem cell treatments in China.

Bartelme won in the category for newspapers under 150,000 circulation. The series was illustrated by Post and Courier photographer Alan Hawes.

The series also explored common economic issues between China and South Carolina, such as the changing environments in manufacturing, shipping and counterfeit artwork.

The awards, considered the highest honor in business journalism, were created in 1957 by the late financier Gerald Loeb to honor journalists who significantly improve public understanding of business, finance and the economy.

Loeb, who often wrote explanatory books and newspaper columns on the economy, wanted to encourage reporting that would inform and protect the private investor and the general public.

In May Bartelme was named one of three Loeb finalists, and he was named the winner Monday.

The UCLA Anderson School of Management has run the awards program since 1973.

Earlier this year the series won a first-place award for "International Perspective" reporting in the 2007 Associated Press Managing Editors annual contest.