"At Exxon, Making the Case for Oil"

This story was an in-depth feature about Exxon's identity as a company and its future with the nation's concern about global warming and oil independence. It was very thoroughly and appropriately researched, with several distinguished sources from all sides of the issue. A source list is as follows:

-Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Exxon Mobil
-Kert Davies, research director of Greenpeace
-Arjun N. Murti, oil analyst, Goldman Sachs
-Joseph Allen Pratt, history and management professor, University of Houston
-Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell
-an anonymous "top oil executive"
-Neva Rockefeller Goodwin, economist, Tufts University
-Fadel Gheit, oil analyst, Oppenheimer & Company
-Henry Lee, lecturer on energy policy, Harvard University
-Lou Noto, former chairman of Mobil
-Andy Stevenson, energy analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council
-Neil McMahon, analyst, Bernstein Research
-Amy Myers Jaffe, associate professor of Rice University's energy program
-an anonymous "rival executive"
-Michelle Michot Foss, head of the Center for Energy Economics, University of Texas at Austin

Obviously, the reporter spent a lot of time consulting very diverse authorities in order to get the whole story, something that is especially important when writing a story on such a large and prominent company. Exxon has a lot of power and the last thing a reporter wants to do is get on its bad side, so diligent and accurate reporting is vital. The author of this piece did a very good job of creating a genuine profile of the company while balancing opposing opinions. He established the perspective of environmentalists and maintained Exxon's reputation as a highly respected institution. It seemed to fit the exact definition of a quality news piece - fair, balanced, informative, and as entertaining as an article about hydrocarbons can be. The reporter never editorialized, allowing the experts and statistics to progress the story, and every fact or claim was backed up with a source. This article was unmistakably a product of a lot of time, exhaustive research and devoted interviewing. I found it to be a prime example of very good journalism. Give yourself a pat on the back, New York Times.

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