St. Louis Public Radio has won four 2021 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971.
The Murrow Awards are the embodiment of the values and principles set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism. Winning stories put public interest above all else, are a catalyst for public discussion, and adhere to the RTDNA Code of Ethics. Of the awards given to journalists, the Murrow Awards are among the most respected journalism awards in the world.
“Local journalists across the country guided Americans through a pandemic, ongoing racial reckoning and a fraught election cycle, despite facing unprecedented operational challenges and an astonishing number of physical attacks during 2020,” said Dan Shelley, RTDNA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “The persistence of the regional Murrow Award winners we recognize today is a testament to these journalists’ commitment to their First Amendment duty.”
St. Louis Public Radio won awards in four categories:
Digital:
| One Ballot’s Journey: How Absentee And Mail-In Ballots Are Counted In Missouri by Kayla Drake, David Kovaluk |
Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
| 'Be The Change': One Man's Journey From Protester To Police Officer by Marissanne Lewis-Thompson |
Feature Reporting:
| Family, Officers Mourn The Rev. Carl Smith, Who Taught Others How To Cope With Death by Chad Davis |
Podcast:
| Where It Hurts – Season One: “No Mercy” by Sarah Jane Tribble, KHN and St. Louis Public Radio staff |
Regional winners automatically advance to national judging.
In addition, STLPR has won two 2021 Public Media Journalism Association (PMJA) Awards for work done in the calendar year 2020. The awards recognize the best work in public media journalism across the country. Judges reviewed nearly 1,300 entries and presented 203 awards to 88 organizations.
St. Louis Public Radio won awards in two categories:
COVID-19 Feature: At This Coronavirus-Plagued St. Louis County Hospital, The Pandemic Takes Its Toll by Sarah Fentem (Second Place)
Social Justice Feature: ‘I Really Thought They Were Going To Kill Somebody’: Business Owners Call For Police Accountability by Marissanne Lewis-Thompson (First Place)
The full list of winners is available here.