NPR and the Texas Tribune are among several public media winners of national Edward R. Murrow Awards, announced Tuesday by the Radio Television Digital News Association.
The Texas Tribune won four awards, including for overall excellence. It also garnered awards for continuing coverage of border issues, excellence in social media for a Snapchat exploration of a 1966 sniper attack, and investigative reporting for a look at the threat a hurricane may pose to Houston’s petrochemical storage reserves. The latter was a partnership with ProPublica.
NPR was honored for excellence in innovation for its NPR Ed education coverage, feature reporting for a story about a Challenger engineer’s longtime guilt, and continuing coverage of whistleblowers on the Wells Fargo scandal.
New Hampshire Public Radio also received an overall excellence award, which goes to organizations that “exemplify the highest standards in serving its audience through quality electronic journalism,” according to RTDNA. In addition, NHPR won awards for feature reporting and news series.
Other public media winners include:
WNYC-FM in New York City, for excellence in innovation for the Harlem Heat Project, which uncovered the lack of air conditioning in public housing, and hard news, for reporting on gentrification.
KCUR-FM in Kansas City, Mo., for excellence in sound in a story on the experience of hearing through cochlear implants.
KBIA-FM in Columbia, Mo., for excellence in innovation for its unique storytelling tool that helped the station present more than 12 years in the lives of children that had been born premature.
WITF-FM in Harrisburg, Pa., for sports reporting on polo played with BMX bikes.
WVTF-FM, for continuing coverage of a 1990 murder conviction that led to a documentary and possible proof of innocence.
WFIU-FM, Bloomington, Ind., for excellence in social media. The station partnered with other public broadcasters statewide on 2016 election coverage on social media platforms.
The RTDNA presented 117 awards in 15 categories. The association received almost 4,300 entries. Read the full list here.
The 46th annual awards will be presented in New York City in October.
Totally awesome!!! #ThisIsNPR
Npr has had to deal with for a significant problem which radio has long: a vast waste land of program content.
Npr has provided it’s increasingly large audience with many quality programs and. Podcasts and they have revitelized the medium.
Unfortunately the flagship station: wnyc has been undergoing a serious situation for now months: a number of allegations against veteran on air talent and the realization that Laura Walker who is the person in charge of nypr is receiving a salary not like that of a nonprofit but rather commensurate of a corporate CEO.
It is hoped that this situation will be resolved asap.