KCUR, Harvest Public Media and the NPR Midwest Newsroom have received eight 2024 Regional Murrow Awards in the 2024 contests, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association.
The newsrooms compete in the Large Market Radio contest in Region 5, which includes media organizations across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
KCUR was recognized in six categories:
- Breaking News, for the station's coverage of the Ralph Yarl shooting.
- Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, for reporting on Haskell Indian Nations University students and the art of thatching.
- Excellence in Writing, for a feature on the evolution of the local band Freight Train Rabbit Killer.
- Investigative Reporting, for the deep dive into Missouri's history of seclusion and restraint in schools.
- Podcast, for A People's History of Kansas City.
- Sports Reporting, for a feature on the Kansas City Royals' Urban Youth Academy.
"We knew we had an especially strong slate of entries from KCUR and Harvest Public Media, and it's a thrill to see the judges agree with us," says C.J. Janovy, director of content-journalism.
"It's also gratifying to see such a strong showing from our public media colleagues across the region — congratulations to St. Louis Public Radio and KBIA in Missouri, KMUW in Wichita and Iowa Public Radio. These winners show the wide range of topics public media journalists cover, and how deeply we know our communities."
The regional Harvest Public Media collaboration, headquartered at KCUR, also secured awards in two categories:
- Feature Reporting, for an audio postcard from the American Royal's livestock show, in collaboration with the NPR Midwest Newsroom also headquartered at KCUR.
- News Series, for "The Carbon Question," a three-part series about proposed CO2 pipeline projects across six states. The series was a collaboration with Iowa Public Radio and the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk.
"We are so pleased to receive this recognition from the RTDNA,” said Maria Altman, managing editor of Harvest Public Media. “It’s a real testament to the collaboration and the great partnerships we have across the Midwest.”
The regional Midwest Newsroom collaboration, headquartered at KCUR, also secured awards in two categories won by St. Louis Public Radio:
- Hard News, for a story on how Missouri Children's Division staff shortages prevented investigations of 6,000 child abuse and neglect cases.
- Overall Excellence, including a story about the Hazelwood School District's aggressive audits of student residency.
All the regional winners automatically advance to the national competition, the results of which will be announced in August.