KCUR and its collaborative partners took home a total of 11 wins from the 2022 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, honoring the stations’ coverage of the Kevin Strickland trial, reporting on the Kansas City Chiefs and right-wing extremism in Kansas, its podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, and more.
The Murrow Awards are given out every year by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), and are among the most prestigious prizes in journalism.
KCUR competes in the large market radio division of Region 5, which includes the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Regional winners will advance to the national round of competition, with winners to be announced later this summer.
“There’s no greater honor than watching this incredible team of reporters and editors working within Kansas City’s communities, and producing compelling stories that bring compassion and scrutiny to the biggest issues of our day,” says KCUR news director Lisa Rodriguez.
In addition, the television Large Market award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion went to KSHB-41 for their special ceport, "9:29: The Minutes that Moved Kansas City." The report was part of a collaboration between KSHB and KCUR that took the pulse of Kansas City one year after the murder of George Floyd.
Here is a list of all the 2022 Regional Murrow Awards won by KCUR, Kansas News Service and Harvest Public Media:
KCUR 89.3 (Large Market Radio)
- Excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion: "What the adoption of one Kansas City mother’s child says about race in the child welfare system" by Laura Ziegler
- Excellence in sound: "From his porch in rural Missouri, a congressional aide helps interpreters escape Afghanistan" by Frank Morris
- Excellence in writing: "After 43 years in a Missouri prison, Kevin Strickland’s braided hair could be the key to his freedom" by Luke X. Martin
- Sports reporting: "Amid the Kansas City Chiefs’ success, there are still concerns about its controversial traditions" by Luke X. Martin
- Podcast: A People’s History of Kansas City by Suzanne Hogan and Mackenzie Martin, KCUR Studios
Harvest Public Media (Large Market Radio)
- Feature reporting: "Chestnuts growing on an open field. Missouri farmers can make $6,000 an acre harvesting them" by Jonathan Ahl, St. Louis Public Radio
Kansas News Service (Large Market Radio)
- Hard news: "Right-Wing Extremism Has Been Taking Root In Rural Kansas For Decades" by Jim McLean, KCUR
- Investigative reporting: "How Kansas and a private pharmacy company blocked the release of information on millions of dollars" by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, KCUR
Kansas News Service (Small Market Radio)
- Excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion: "Race in the Free State" by David Condos, High Plains Public Radio
- Hard news: "How a meatpacking plant changed one Kansas town 40 years ago and left a Colorado community behind" by David Condos, High Plains Public Radio
- Excellence in writing: David Condos, High Plains Public Radio
