The Public Media Journalists Association recognized WUSF News with five national awards on Thursday, including three team honors for hurricane on-air and online coverage, audience engagement during the 2024 election, and coverage of the debate over abortion.
Awards also were given for continuing coverage of abortion issues and for feature stories about the arts and health. All of the honors were for journalism produced by WUSF in 2024.
The organization presented 266 first- and second-place awards to 113 organizations from local newsrooms across the United States. WUSF competed in the second-largest division, with between 16 and 19 newsroom employees.
"We are always excited to be able to honor the great journalism at local public radio stations across the country," said Christine Paige Diers, PMJA executive director.
Winners were announced at the PMJA annual conference in Kansas City.
Health and Medicine Feature - First Place: “Why this St. Petersburg mom had to travel out-of-state for abortion care, despite exceptions”
Arts Feature - Second Place: 'Art with a purpose': Ringling College hosts a forensic workshop
Audience Engagement – Second Place:
This category honors programs, reporting or news campaigns that fosters meaningful connections with the community. WUSF’s Vote 2024 coverage included: a Citizens Agenda, Instagram reels, a 19-episode audio and video podcast called “Our Changing State,” a comprehensive local voting page, and an online voter guide for state and federal races.
Continuing Coverage – Second Place:
A collection of stories that highlighted WUSF’s reporting and public affairs show coverage of the state’s six-week abortion ban law and the 2024 state Constitutional Amendment for abortion rights.
Multimedia – Second Place:
The honor was for the broadcast, digital and social media coverage surrounding the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. WUSF newscasts and live special broadcast coverage (more than 22 hours between two of the storms) was significantly supported by digital efforts, starting with our annual Hurricane Guide. That included more than 500 live blog entries before, during and immediately after Hurricanes Helene and Milton; a behind-the-scenes development of a text-only website for people with limited internet access; and social media posts and reels. WUSF produced 79 posts during Helene and 93 during Milton.
