Tampa and Sarasota newsrooms praised for wide range of coverage of community issue |
TAMPA, FL (May 12, 2020) — WUSF Public Media is proud to announce that journalists in its Tampa and Sarasota newsrooms won a long list of awards for excellence in covering subjects such as the environment, education, sports, medicine and more. This includes three prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow awards, and 15 awards for excellence from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. WUSF journalists won awards for work featuring topics such as autism, the end of dog racing in Florida, how music can help babies born prematurely, the plight of Florida’s honeybees, dragon boat racing, plus excellence in online news for the WUSFNews.org website. “Every day, WUSF journalists dedicate themselves to illuminating vital issues across our region and bringing those stories to the community,” said WUSF Public Media General Manager JoAnn Urofsky. “Tampa Bay is fortunate to have such incredible journalists covering our community, and I join the judges in congratulating this exceptional team.” Since 1971, the Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards – one of the most prestigious broadcast awards in the country. WUSF Journalists won three regional Murrow awards, including: Investigative Journalism: Daylina Miller, a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida, was the first reporter to identify problems with a state crackdown on fraudulent billing practices. It had unintended consequences at clinics that provide behavior analysis therapy to children on the autism spectrum. Miller’s reporting led to changes in how the state was addressing the problem. Julio Ochoa was the editor. The story that launched the coverage can be found here. News Series: WUSF’s Robin Sussingham, Steve Newborn and Cathy Carter all contributed stories to “The Buzz on Florida’s Honey Bees.” The entry included an excerpt from a Florida Matters interview Sussingham hosted with a bee expert, a story on the environmental threats the Florida bee population faces, and a feature story on the urban apiary on the roof of the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. Sussingham, senior producer and host of The Zest Podcast, led the project. Producers Stephanie Colombini and Christy Oshana also contributed to this series. Sports Reporting: WUSF’s Cathy Carter’s profiled a Sarasota-based dragon boat team comprised of breast cancer survivors. The story investigated how the 2,000-year-old sport has grown in international popularity in part because of cancer survivors. News Director Mary Shedden was the editor. All three entries are advancing to the National Murrow Award competition, which will be announced later this year. Additionally, WUSF journalists earned 15 awards from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists in a contest that recognizes the state’s best work from 2019. This included eight first-place awards and seven honorable mentions for stories presented both on WUSF 89.7 and online at WUSFNews.org, plus a “Reporter of the Year” award for WUSF’s Stephanie Colombini. Ten individual journalists from WUSF were honored in the contest, but the awards also reflect the collective efforts of the newsroom to provide quality journalism to a radio audience spanning 13 Florida counties. The association selected winners from more than 550 entries representing 37 radio and television stations across the state. It held a virtual awards ceremony and celebrated how journalists are continuing to serve audiences during the coronavirus pandemic. “Pushing the boundaries of creativity, digging for truth, and holding those in power accountable. Now, more than ever, is this effort critical as we are in unprecedented times with unknown challenges for newsrooms ahead,” the group said in a statement. The following WUSF journalists were honored with First Place Awards: General Assignment | Long Mark Schreiner Forensic Facility Teaches How Florida’s Environment Affects Bodies Environmental | Series Steve Newborn Coral Whisperer, Killer Heat and Honey Bees Education | Single Story Cathy Carter Words Will Take You Places Feature | Hard Topic Cathy Carter After 90 Years, Greyhound Dog Racing Comes To An End In Sarasota Feature | Light Topic Stephanie Colombini Music Therapy In NICUS Helps Babies Go Home Sooner Politics / Government | Single Story Steve Newborn Going To The End Of The Suncoast Parkway Toll Road – At Least For Now Sports | Feature Cathy Carter Breast Cancer Survivors Form Bonds, Gain Strength Through Dragon Boat Racing Use Of Sound Kerry Sheridan Hip-Hop Architecture Camp Teaches Kids To Re-Imagine Their Communities Additionally, the following WUSF journalists were honored with second place awards: Continuing Coverage Daylina Miller State’s Credentialing Process For Autism Therapists Causing Issues General Assignment – Short Story Kerry Sheridan On Berlin Wall Anniversary, New College Students Tear Down Their Own Investigative | Series Julio Ochoa Florida Fails To Open Methadone Clinics In Opioid Crisis Series / Franchise Robin Sussingham, Cathy Carter, Steve Newborn The Buzz On Florida’s Honey Bees Feature | Light Topic Kerry Sheridan How Many Horseshoe Crabs Are In Florida? Growing Volunteer Effort Aims To Find Out Website / Digital Carl Lisciandrello, Mary Shedden WUSFNews.org Reporter of The Year Stephanie Colombini Collection of Work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Richard Mullins (813) 228-0652 x1127 rmullins@tuckerhall.com About WUSF Public Media WUSF Public Media is a comprehensive media organization that provides media services to the community and businesses through public broadcasting and multi-media production services. Licensed to the University of South Florida, WUSF Public Media has been serving the public interest through programming, educational outreach and community partnerships for 50 years. For more information, visit www.wusf.org. |