KCUR and its collaborative partners, Harvest Public Media and the Midwest Newsroom, were recognized with a total of 10 PMJA Awards at their annual conference in Washington, D.C.
KCUR received a total of four awards:
- First place for Black coaches and players say Kansas City Royals' academy to grow local talent has lost its way, by sports reporter Greg Echlin.
- First place for the podcast episode, How a McDonald’s in Kansas City got pulled into the Black community’s fight for justice, from A People's History of Kansas City. Podcast producer and host Mackenzie Martin is also a nominee for a 2024 James Beard award for her work on this episode.
- Second place for Missouri schools restrained and secluded 1,000 students last year. Justyn Jefferson was one, by education reporter Jodi Fortino.
- Second place for A duck gives a homeless man a new lease on life, by national correspondent Frank Morris.
Harvest Public Media, led by KCUR, is a multi-state Local Journalism Center. Harvest received a total of four second place awards for:
- Weather experts face tough climate, by Elizabeth Rembert of Nebraska Public Media.
- The Midwest has a surprising number of shrimp farms, including one in Foristell, by Lilley Halloran of St. Louis Public Radio.
- At the livestock show, by Eva Tesfaye, formerly of KCUR, in collaboration with the Midwest Newsroom.
- Safety concerns about carbon capture pipelines, by Grant Gerlock of Iowa Public Radio.
And the four-state NPR Midwest Newsroom, led by KCUR, received two second place awards for:
- Over 6,000 St. Louis-area child abuse and neglect cases remain open due to staff shortages, by Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio.
- The Iowa Public Radio podcast, Caucus Land '24.
Click here to view the full list of 2024 PMJA winners.
“This year, we had over 1,450 entries from 144 different organizations in our awards contest,” said PMJA Executive Director Christine Paige Diers. “We’re proud to be able to recognize the great journalism across the country through this contest.”
"We're always happy to win at PMJA because we're competing directly with our peers in public media around the country," said C.J. Janovy, director of content-journalism at KCUR. "And with winning stories not only from KCUR's newsroom but also Harvest Public Media and NPR's Midwest Newsroom — both headquartered here — it's great to see our peers recognizing the strong storytelling coming out of our region."
PMJA is an association representing public media journalists across the United States. As a champion for journalistic excellence in the vibrant landscape of public media, the PMJA Awards celebrates the outstanding work of journalists who inform, engage, and empower communities through their dedication and skill.
