| Media Release - 25-01-2005 |
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| Newsroom |
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| Citigroup Awards for Excellence in Journalism |
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| New Zealand journalist Deborah Hill Cone has taken out the prestigious Citigroup Australasia Awards for Excellence in Journalism with her winning series "The Great Aussie Bank Swindle" published in The National Business Review. |
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| The tightly contested win in the Citigroup Awards for Excellence in Journalism came from a wide field of entries from Australia and New Zealand media in four categories of financial and business reporting - general business, the economy, personal finance and financial markets. |
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| Citigroup chief executive officer, corporate and investment banking, Stephen Roberts, said the high calibre of entries from a diverse range of media outlets across the two countries reflected the increased importance of financial and business reporting. |
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| "In a year that was marked by an absence of bad news stories in the business and finance community, the media had to dig deep, think big and analyse with intellect. This was reflected in the 61 articles that were entered in the award," Mr Roberts said. |
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| The overall winner was chosen from this year's category winners: |
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Mike White, North & South, "Superb Scientist" - General Business
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon, The Sun Herald, "Mortgage Series" - Personal Finance
John Garnaut, The Sydney Morning Herald, "Bad Odds" - The Economy
Deborah Hill Cone, The National Business Review, "The Great Aussie Bank Swindle" - Financial Markets |
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| Mr Roberts said that Ms Hill Cone's insightful article stood out as an exceptional piece of journalism because of its impact upon New Zealand's taxation legislation. It raised some significant fiscal and public policy issues for the way foreign banks structure their operations. |
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| "Ms Hill Cone writes with both wit and clarity - a rare combination when dealing with such daunting subjects as banks and taxes. The issues involved are important but complex and the author did justice to both." |
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| Speaking at the awards ceremony in Sydney, Mr Roberts thanked the panel of eight judges - all business and academic leaders - for their contribution to the Citigroup Awards for Excellence in journalism. |
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| "The key to the award is its independence and impartiality", Mr Roberts said. |
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| Ms Hill Cone, selected as the overall winner, joins media from around the world on a 10-day business and financial seminar in the US administered by Columbia Graduate School of Journalism under Citigroup auspices. |
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| At the seminar Ms Hill Cone will participate in sessions with leading Columbia University faculty members, engage in discussions with senior academics and policy makers, and visit key financial institutions and US Government departments. |
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| The Citigroup Journalism Awards for Excellence is a global program launched in the US in 1982 to recognise meritorious business reporting in many of the markets around the world in which Citigroup does business. |
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| In 1992 Asia-Pacific journalists joined the program as part of 90th anniversary celebrations in Asia. |
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| For media enquiries: |
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| Please e-mail: newsroom.australia@citigroup.com |
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| Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company with some 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries, provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com |
