Los Angeles Times Business Reporter Wins Loeb Award

The Los Angeles Times received the Gerald Loeb award on Tuesday night for “Wheel of Fortune,” Ken Bensinger’s series on Buy Here Pay Here car dealers.

Bensinger’s series beat out two Wall Street Journal entries and one from the New York Times. It was his second Loeb award, which was established in 1957 by the late founding partner of E.F. Hutton & Co.

“Most Americans need cars to get a job and keep it, and for those who don’t have a lot of money or decent credit, it’s a daunting challenge,” LAT editor Davan Maharaj said in a statement. “Ken Bensinger showed how many of these people bought cars from dealers who took advantage of their desperation. But for Ken, their stories would not have been told.”