For series on R. Allen Stanford, Miami Herald is recognized for not going far enough ... by gimleteye

The Miami Herald received an award from the National Press Club "for revealing government failures that allowed billionaire Allen Stanford to launch a $7 billion Ponzi from a bayfront Miami high rise." From Eyeonmiami, the Herald gets half an award. The series was a welcome breath of life for the Herald. When the report broke, a year ago, I wrote considerably about it. I criticized the Herald, however, for not taking the series far enough. What is the point of a powerful investigation that shines its light straight into the executive office of the governor but doesn't walk through the door to see what and who is in the office?The scandal took flight in 1998, through facilitators at the law firm Greenberg Traurig that represented Stanford and his need to stretch state banking law. But the investigation stopped, right at the doorstep of lax regulatory oversight during the Jeb Bush years. Why did the series stop, where it did, is an important question that journalism reviews should be asking. Does anyone care, or, are we just inured to carelessness? (for more on this, from our archive, type in "Stanford" in the search engine below the Eyeonmiami banner.)