Michigan Radio has been recognized with three regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in the Large Market Radio category. The station won awards in the Digital, News Documentary and Overall Excellence categories. The Murrow Awards are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) to honor outstanding achievements in electronic journalism. The winning entries from Michigan Radio are as follows:
Michigan Radio was awarded the Overall Excellence award. Michigan Radio’s reporters, editors, hosts and producers did extensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in-depth coverage of the changes in Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance laws and its impact on those with catastrophic injuries. Other highlights included numerous environmental stories on water issues, continued efforts in Michigan to shed doubt on presidential election results, and the tragic mass shooting at Oxford High School.
In the News Documentary category, the award went to Michigan Radio’s Stateside program for their work on “Students, elected officials and community leaders respond to Oxford High shooting”. In November 2021, four students were killed and seven other people were injured in a school shooting. Members of the Stateside team spoke with a number of people who are dealing with the fallout of the shooting, from personal loss to coordinating resources for a grieving community. Stateside staff members include host April Baer, Executive Producer Laura Weber Davis, Director and Producer Mercedes Mejia and producers April Van Buren, Erin Allen, and Mike Blank, with additional help from Elizabeth Harlow and Clair Murashima.
Michigan Radio’s website won in the Digital Category. Michiganradio.org is a crucial resource for our Michigan community navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding changes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance and critical environmental coverage, along with daily news coverage, podcasts, digital events and more. The digital team is led by Jodi Westrick, along with Emma Winowiecki, Paulette Parker and Brad Gowland.
Additionally, Michigan Radio’s Brett Dahlberg won two regional Murrow Awards for work while at WCMU, just prior to coming to Michigan radio. Those awards are for Excellence in Writing for “Rural Drag” and Best Feature, for “83-year-old tractor finds a new home”.
Regional winners of the Murrow Awards advance to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, which will be judged in October. A complete list of the 2022 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards winners can be found here.
Michigan Radio competes in Region 7 in the Large Market Radio category, which consists of public and commercial radio stations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
The Radio Television Digital News Association is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTDNA has been honoring excellence in journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971, and the Murrow Awards are among the most respected journalism awards in the world.
