Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism today announced that Michigan Radio is a winner of a 2020 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for the station’s podcast series, Believed.
This marks the second time Michigan Radio has been the recipient of this prestigious award, the first being in 2017 for Not Safe to Drink, a documentary on the Flint water crisis.
The Believed podcast series from Michigan Radio and NPR details how a team of women brought Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to justice. Hosted by award-winning Michigan Radio reporters Kate Wells and Lindsey Smith, Believed was first distributed in October, 2018.
The 2020 duPont-Columbia Award winners focus on timely issues such as immigration, political corruption, and abuse of power, especially as it relates to sexual assault. Believed is one of three podcasts that were winners in the Audio award category. The other winning podcasts were MSNBC's "Bagman” which revisited the investigation into corruption at the highest levels of the US government, that ultimately led to the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew; and "In the Dark" from APM Reports, which followed the case of death row inmate Curtis Flowers as it went before the Supreme Court, which ultimately overturned his conviction.
“This important work is all coming at a time of increased mistrust in powerful institutions,” said Cheryl Gould, duPont Jury Chair and former NBC News Executive. "Journalists are playing a critical role in holding the powerful accountable, and we are proud to honor these duPont winners for their commitment.”
Founded in 1942, the duPont-Columbia Awards uphold the highest standards in journalism by honoring winners annually, informing the public about those journalists' contributions and supporting journalism education and innovation.
The duPont Awards ceremony will take place on January 21, 2020 in a ceremony hosted by CNN and PBS’s Christiane Amanpour and the New York Times The Daily’s Michael Barbaro, in New York City.
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