Gad Lior, winner of the Israeli Prize for Quality Economics Coverage of the Society for the Public's Right to Know, said Sunday evening that Israelis should not be euphoric about the country having weathered the financial storm that began in 2008. Interviewed by Arutz Sheva television, the Yediot Acharonot reporter noted, "The world still hasn't recovered and we are, nevertheless, a small island in the world."

President Uriel Lynn of the Israel Chambers of Commerce said the awards committee chose Lior on the basis of his current work, as well as in the sense of lifetime achievement. He said that the journalist brought the same enthusiasm to the job now that he did when he started at the age of 16, writing in a language that allows everyone to understand the importance of the story.