WUSF on Thursday won nine regional Edward R. Murrow awards, including the top honor for overall excellence.
The entire team of WUSF reporters, producers, editors and anchors were recognized for their work during 2024. Singled out were wins in the breaking news category for Hurricane Helene coverage, and in the digital category, for WUSF.org. The station also won for excellence in innovation for its 2024 election coverage, which included leading a voter guide effort for public media newsrooms across Florida.
A collection of stories by reporter Nancy Guan about immigration was honored in the Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category. And a series by reporter Gabriella Paul about how investors and corporations are buying more single-family homes won in the news series category.
Reporter Jessica Meszaros won the news documentary category for a long-form podcast episode on how climate change is contributing to Florida's insurance crisis. And reporter and editor Stephanie Colombini won in the hard news category for a story about a woman who had to travel out of state for an abortion.
Kayla Kissel, a former WUSF intern, took home top honors in the excellence in sound category for her story about a Tampa hat maker.
The Murrow awards recognize broadcast journalism excellence produced in local and national newsrooms across the United States.
They are among the most prestigious broadcast journalism awards in the United States. Winners in the regional competitions will vie for national awards to be announced later this year.
WUSF competes in the Large Market Radio division in Region 13, which includes news stations in Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
WUSF honors include:
Overall Excellence: A compilation of some of the best work produced by WUSF in 2024.
Breaking News Coverage: A compilation of work produced by WUSF after Hurricane Helene.
Digital: A compilation of pages, including Vote 2024, Our Changing State, Instagram, Hurricane 2024 and our Hurricane Milton live blog.
Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A compilation of stories in immigration: story 1, story 2, story 3, story 4, story 5, story 6, story 7, story 8, story 9, story 10.
Excellence in Innovation: For its collaborative and multiplatform election coverage: a voter guide from WUSF and other Florida public media newsrooms; the 19-epsiode audio and video podcast called "Our Changing State;" a Citizens Agenda survey that sought out voter comments; and an Instagram reel series created for WUSF stories and in collaboration with Central Florida Public Media.
Excellence in Sound: From felt to finish: Florida man owns one of the only handmade hat shops in the state
Hard News: Why this St. Petersburg mom had to travel out-of-state for abortion care, despite exceptions
News Documentary: How climate change is contributing to the home insurance crisis in Florida and across the country
News Series: Corporate Buyouts
