While the visceral tone of the article effectively puts the reader in the moment, the abrupt way it begins made it somewhat difficult to grasp the context at first. The piece also contains two typographical errors.

Mr. Shaffer offers good insights. The piece would have benefited from more depth and specifics, however.

While the subject matter is interesting and covered in some depth, the article loses a couple of points for style (e.g. the phrase "proactive chutzpah") and for not backing certain claims. For example, the author cites "naysayers who prognosticate that businesses cannot entice outside talent to live and work in Baltimore," but does not specify who those naysayers are.

This article is a worthy and relevant follow-up to an enterprising series. Clearly the good reporting on the part of Ms. Simmons and Ms. Jacobson has pushed EBDI to strive for more transparency and the City Council to pay closer attention to a serious issue.

The article highlights a timely and relevant issue: the challenge of crafting public and personnel policies to keep pace with a fluid and growing social media landscape. Providing perspectives from Maryland Division (not Department, as erroneously named in the article) of Corrections officials or other employers would have offered more balance to the story.

By describing the budget book cover and connecting the image to the theme of the story, the authors open the article with some good color.

Sen. Pugh makes a good point about the regressive nature of the proposed bag tax and sheds new light on what seems like a clear-cut issue. Her argument would have been bolstered, however, had she cited the sources of her information and used specifics, rather than repeatedly using phrases like, "some members," "many have been found," and "many tax proponents."

This article does a good job of examining the motivations, nature, and ramifications of the steep fee increases for city festivals. It loses points, however for the erroneous use of "straights" instead of "straits," and for a generally clunky writing style.

The ICC has been a significant source of controversy and political wrangling for years; a reference to that history would have provided better background for the article. I would also like to have heard from motorists themselves who stopped using the roadway after the implementation of tolls.

The information from the OLA report is concisely presented, although it would have been helpful to hear additional feedback from SSA and others about the reasons for and ramifications of the deficiencies.

This is a well written, in-depth story. Mr. Ericson provides a good deal of fresh background on Mr. Rolley's life and career prior to his mayoral run. Mr. Ericson also cites sources (such as Mr. Berndt) who refute Mr. Rolley's narrative.

Mr. Capehart's anger and frustration are palpable in this column. While his feelings on the topic are unequivocal, he raises good points and expresses them clearly.

By contrasting the federal labor department's gloomy statistics with the state labor department's rosier jobs numbers, Ms. Hopkins provides an admirable amount of context in a brief article.

Ms. Simmons provides an impressive amount of detail regarding the Presidential Parnters-New East Baltimore Partnership members' financial troubles. She clearly did a lot of legwork tracking down sources. The story would have benefited from some additional context concerning the ongoing East Side redevelopment saga.

This news item is relevant, but lacks perspectives from sources outside the state labor department.

This is a moderately interesting news item in the context of the current debate in Annapolis over in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant high school graduates. But it has not been fact-checked; Mr. Lazarick himself admits that he lacks direct quotes or in-depth notes about the remark.

The article shows initiative and originality in its coverage of the local DIY dance scene, which has not received much attention to date. However, one would have liked to see others quoted besides Ms. Susskind.

Ms. Shen and Baltimore Brew rightly question the motivations and veracity of a new "news" source that seems to have an implicit political agenda. The article allows the individuals behind Baltileaks, as well as their supporters, to offer their perspective, but also allows space for opposing viewpoints. Baltimore Brew deserves credit for disclosing that Joan Jacobson, who is quoted in the article, is a "sometime Brew writer." It loses points, however, for not being clear why Dave Troy is mentioned, quoted, and even implicated as possibly being behind Baltileaks.

This article offers a balanced exploration of a delicate topic. Ms. Bykowicz provides enough historical background, political context, and contrasting viewpoints that readers are able to make up their own minds, confident that they have gleaned the necessary information to do so.

Though I would have preferred for this article to have covered the world of transgender people in more detail, Mr. Fenton does a fine and compassionate job of shedding light on a tragic and little-known issue.

This is an entertaining review; detailed and vivid enough to dissuade me from ever wanting to see the film that is its subject. The piece loses points, however, for erroneously using the word "phased," rather than "fazed."

The article cites numerous union supporters, including the head of the Maryland AFL-CIO, Mayor Rawlings-Blake, and the heads of Maryland AFSCME, the Baltimore FOP, and the state teachers' union. By contrast, the only opposing viewpoint is offered by a blogger for a fringe political movement. The piece would be more balanced if it included the perspectives of economists, conservative policymakers, or business owners.