FreightWaves on Tuesday was named a finalist in the 71st annual Jesse H. Neal Awards for its extensive reporting on how supply chain issues impacted the 2024 presidential election.
The Best Coverage of the 2024 Election category “recognizes excellence in analysis and news as it happens and as it developed over time,” states the website for the Neals, the oldest and most prestigious competition in business-to-business journalism. The full list of finalists is here.
In a series of articles, FreightWaves’ Washington-based Senior Editor John Gallagher and staff writer Stuart Chirls laid out the election-influencing tactics and priorities of a range of stakeholders, from unionized workers threatening to shut off East and Gulf Coast imports to big-box retailers desperate to keep goods flowing.
Below is the summary of FreightWaves’ entry, submitted in the contest’s highest company revenue category: greater than $7 million.
“In one article, Gallagher details the painful choices the Biden administration, and by extension Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, had to make as a port strike loomed. Labor was wavering on its traditional support for Democrats, and Harris could not be perceived as eager to force striking employees back to work. But a lengthy interruption in the flow of goods risked alienating a broader pool of voters.
“In a related analysis, Chirls details how the Biden administration skillfully removed the issue from the electoral picture by pressuring port employers to make a better offer, bringing the strike – and its potential electoral consequences – to a rapid end.
“In another piece, Gallagher underscores a possible reversal in transportation policy under a second Donald Trump presidency if Trump embraces policies recommended in The Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025. Federal support for electric vehicles would likely crater, and regulatory guard rails for autonomous vehicles would be largely removed. Gallagher examines support for these changes among industry lobbying groups.”
In recent years, FreightWaves has won multiple Neal Awards, ranging from Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence) to Best Commentary/Blog to Best New Product.
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