WWNO's newsroom has been recognized with four 2019 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.
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.
The winning entries are:
Continuing Coverage - Louisiana's Non-Unanimous Jury Law (with WRKF-FM)
"When I first saw the Louisiana legislature was going to take up a bill to overturn the state's non-unanimous jury rule, I knew it would be news regardless of what happened. Would the legislature support the measure to undo 100+ years of a law based in white supremacy? Would the people of Louisiana vote in favor of requiring unanimous juries in all felony cases, leaving Oregon as the only state in the nation that allows conviction on a non-unanimous verdict? In the end, the answer to all of those questions was: yes."
- Jessica Rosgaard, Editor and Reporter
Feature Reporting - In Central City, Students Add Their Voices to the Post-Parkland Conversation on Guns
"In an age of frequent school shootings, gun violence has risen to the fore of our cultural and political consciousness. But in many communities, kids aren't only worried about being shot in a mass school shooting. Gun violence factors into daily life - it determines the route you walk to school, how late you can stay outside, even where you place your TV in your home. Students have a lot to say about this, if we are willing to listen."
- Jess Clark, Reporter
News Documentary - Sticky Wicket: Huey Long vs. The Media
"Sticky Wicket is a new podcast from WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio, and WRKF - Baton Rouge Public Radio. Season one focused on four historic clashes between Louisiana politicians and the press. The first episode revisited former Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Long's relationship to the media. His populist style of rule, along with heavy skepticism and censorship of the press draws an uncanny parallel to our country's current president, reminding us that much of what we see play out in American politics today, we've seen before."
- Laine Kaplan-Levenson, Reporter
News Series - New Orleans: Ready Or Not? (with The Lens)
"After heavy rains inundated much of New Orleans in 2017, WWNO and The Lens sought to find out how prepared the city's infrastructure is for the threats of climate change - more intense heat, heavier rains and stronger storms. We tested the electric grid, drainage and hurricane barriers, and looked at how citizens are getting involved."
- Tegan Wendland, News Director
"Though the major takeaway of the series is that our infrastructure is mostly not prepared for climate change, we thought it was important to end the series on a note about how average citizens are responding. The good news is that some people are taking matters into their own hands, but the bad news is it might not be enough to keep the city from flooding during heavy rains."
- Travis Lux, Reporter
The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow award recipients demonstrate the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.