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Michigan Public Awards

Michigan Public is proud of its legacy of excellence in reporting. The Michigan Public news team has been recognized with more than 45 awards from numerous organizations including the award for General Excellence from the Michigan Associated Press, and Station of the Year Award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. Michigan Public has also received national awards from the Public Radio News Directors, Inc., Radio Television Digital News Association, UNITY: Journalists of Color, and the Association for Women in Communications.

Michigan Radio Awards - 2022

Michigan Public | By Suzanne Belanger

Published July 11, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT

These awards were received by Michigan Radio in 2022 for news coverage in 2021.

Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB)

Best in Category

STATION EXCELLENCE (Public Radio Group 2): Michigan Radio
SPECIAL INTEREST & CULTURAL PROGRAMMING - “The enduring legacy of Marvin Gaye’s masterpiece “What’s Going On”” by Stateside staff
NEWS SPECIAL OR PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM - “Great Lakes in Peril” by Lester Graham
HARD NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS STORY – “COVID ‘long haulers’ struggle not only with lingering symptoms, they’re also deep in medical debt” by Rachel Ishikawa
MARKETING MATERIALS & PROMOS – Legal ID’s

Merit Awards

NEWSCAST - “4:30 PM December 1st, 2021”
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT – Issues & Ale Discussion Series
HARD NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS STORY – “Inside the Third Surge: A Hospital in Overflow” by Kate Wells
MINI-DOCUMENTARY OR SERIES – “Michigan’s new auto insurance law: policy holders
save money at expense of those needing long term care” by Tracy Samilton
MARKETING MATERIALS & PROMOS – “Getting Through Promos”

Michigan AP Media Editors

First Place

Best Documentary: Lester Graham, Michigan Radio; “Great Lakes in Peril”
Best Investigative Reporting: Dustin Dwyer and Nisa Khan, Michigan Radio; “A year after “defund” protests, most large Michigan cities spending more on police, not less”
Best Sports Coverage: Stateside Staff, Michigan Radio; "Jon Vaughn’s vigil for survivors”
Best Multimedia Storytelling: Dustin Dwyer and Brad Gowland, Michigan Radio; “Minutes podcast and meeting tracker project”
Best Digital Presence:Michigan Radio
Best Use of Photography: Lester Graham, Michigan Radio; Body of work
Best Use of Sound: Laura Weber Davis, Michigan Radio; “Mornings In Michigan: Back to the Barn”

Second Place

Best Documentary: Stateside, Michigan Radio: “Stateside Special: Oxford, MI”
Best Investigative Reporting: Tyler Scott and Nisa Khan, Michigan Radio; “White neighborhoods received PPP loans at twice the rate of Latino communities in metro Detroit”
Best Newscast: Christina Shockley, Michigan Radio; Dec 1, 2021 5:30 PM
Best Reporter/Anchor: Beenish Ahmed, Michigan Radio
Best Public Service: Kate Wells, Michigan Radio; “As more teens are hospitalized for eating disorders, here's what parents need to know”
Best Continuing Coverage: Tracy Samilton, Michigan Radio; “Michigan’s new auto insurance law”

Radio Television Digital News Association - Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards

*Region 7; consists of public and commercial stations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Overall Excellence; Michigan Radio. Award for extensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-depth coverage of the changes in Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance laws and its impact on those with catastrophic injuries, 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.
News Documentary category: Stateside, Michigan Radio; “Students, elected officials and community leaders respond to Oxford High shooting”.
Digital Category: Michigan Radio, Michiganradio.org for digital coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding changes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance, critical environmental coverage, along with daily news coverage, podcasts, digital events and more.

Detroit Society of Professional Journalists

First Place - Collaborative Coverage: Great Lakes News Collaborative. This joint effort between Michigan Radio, Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue and Detroit Public Television looks at the impact of climate change on the Great Lakes region.
First Place - Editorial Cartoon Category, John Auchter; Auchter’s Art
Runner up - Sojourner Truth Award; Beenish Ahmed for Topical Reporting; “A year after George Floyd killing, one metro Detroit family reflects on racial profiling.”
Finalist - SPJ’s Young Journalist of the Year; Nisa Khan. Michigan Radio

Public Media Journalists Association

Second Place Award: Nationally Edited Feature - Kate Wells, Michigan Radio “ER’s are now swamped with seriously ill patients but many don’t have COVID”
Second Place Award: News/Public Affairs Program - Stateside, “Students, elected officials and community leaders respond to Oxford High shooting”.
Second Place Award: Specialty Feature: COVID- 2021 - Kate Wells, Michigan Radio; “Inside the Third Surge: A Hospital in Overflow.”
Second Place Award: Digital Writing - Dustin Dwyer & Nisa Khan, Michigan Radio, use of Minutes software creating the feature “A year after “defund” protests, most large Michigan cities spending more on police, not less”

Sierra Club Award

Sierra Club of Michigan's Environmental Journalism award for 2021 - Great Lakes News Collaborative

US Water Alliance - US Water Prize

Outstanding One Water Communication - Great Lakes News Collaborative for "Water's True Cost"

Clean Water Action 2022 Great Lakes Award

Guardian of the Great Lakes - Lester Graham, Michigan Radio