Society of Professional Journalists Announces Sigma Delta Chi Award Winners
Coverage of the aftermath of May 2013 tornadoes has earned public media reporting project StateImpact Oklahoma and public radio stations KOSU and KGOU a prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists. In an announcement Wednesday, April 16, SPJ recognized collaborative work by the three organizations in the Radio Breaking News category, with the award to be formally presented at a reception June 20 in Washington, D.C.
StateImpact Oklahoma, KOSU and KGOU collaborated on coverage of the deadly EF-5 storm which struck Moore, Okla. on May 20, 2013, killing 24, including seven children at an elementary school. Reports produced by all three organizations were shared between both stations and with NPR’s national audience. KOSU and KGOU are NPR member stations, and StateImpact Oklahoma was begun as a pilot project with NPR.
“When it comes to covering a major disaster, there is power in numbers,” said Rachel Hubbard, KOSU Associate Director. “KOSU, KGOU and State Impact were able to triple their local journalism capacity to provide clear, accurate and timely news to Oklahoma listeners and a national audience, from editorial coordination with NPR to on the ground reporting at the site of the destruction.
“As the one-year anniversary of the Moore tornado approaches, public media in Oklahoma continues to report on the recovery as Moore pursues the long journey of rebuilding homes, businesses and lives,” said Kelly Burley, KOSU Director. The journalism excellence and collaborative spirit demonstrated in our coverage and recognized by SPJ is a testament to the power of public media and the listeners who support our work.”
You can read more about the award and listen to the joint coverage at kosu.org.
Previous winners in the Radio Breaking News category include NPR’s 2012 reports on lucrative rental deals made by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, CBS Radio’s coverage of the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, and CNN Radio’s coverage of Haiti’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010.
The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, recognizing the best in professional journalism in categories covering print, radio, television, and online news. The contest is open to any U.S. media outlet.
KOSU is a conduit for community, connecting people to each other and to the larger world through uniquely local and distinctly global news and music at 88.3 in Stillwater, 91.7 in Oklahoma City and 107.5 in Tulsa
StateImpact Oklahoma is a project of the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a consortium of public radio and television stations. StateImpact Oklahoma’s reports and analysis are broadcast on lead station KGOU, and also on KOSU, KWGS, and KCCU. Digital and broadcast content are available at http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma.
