By CALE OTTENS
NEW YORK–Tears of joy filled the eyes of Diana Henriques, a longtime investigative reporter for the New York Times, as SABEW’s Kevin Noblet presented her with the business writers and editors organization’s highest honor, SABEW’s distinguished achievement award.
Although Henriques has reported for the The New York Times since 1989, primarily specializing in investigative reporting on white-color crime, market regulation and corporate governance, and has already been a Pulitzer Prize finalist for two separate pieces of work, she could not help but fight back the tears as she was presented with the award on the opening evening of SABEW’s 2012 Fall conference in New York City.
Henriques is the 22nd recipient to receive the award that is intended to recognize someone who has made a significant impact on the field of business journalism and who has served as a nurturing influence on others in the profession.
“We could think of no one who meets this criteria more than Diana,” said Noblet, who is SABEW’s immediate past president and chair of the award’s selection committee. “Her investigative reporting sets a high standard for those of us in terms of rigor and relevance. And she has been so generous to those who ask her to help to become better professionals.”
While describing Henriques before presenting her with the award, Noblet told the audience the story about how he heard that “Donald Trump once called Diana the smartest woman he had ever met.”
“Diana is one of the most ethical people I have ever met,” Noblet said.
After a long standing ovation, the audience sat back down to listen to an interview between Henriques and her editor at The New York Times, Jill Abramson.
The two women had a lot of discussion on the accountability aspect of journalism, and Henriques spoke in great detail about her latest book, “The Wizard of Lies,” which is the inside story of Bernie Madoff and his multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme, that also included details from Madoff himself.
Henriques said she has always been curious about unfairness, even when she was a young girl. This, she said, is what led her to become an investigative reporter.
“I find it morally fascinating,” she said. “And it’s just intellectually fun to figure these things out.”
As for her reporting on Madoff, she said it was one of the most complicated stories she ever had to tell.
For starters, she had to do a sit-down interview with a man that was in federal prison and ask him some personal questions that would most likely have other reporters in a panic.
“I was beyond nervous,” she said. “I was actually in some sort of robotic state that I can’t recreate.”
Despite the difficulties and the stress of the long-term project, Henriques said it was all worth it. It all goes back to what she finds most important, which is holding people of power accountable.
“At the end of the day what really matters isn’t the awards that you got or the headlines that you made or the awards that you almost got, it’s the effect you’ve had on the lives of people,” Henriques said.
Cale Ottens is a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
