The News Wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for Story Chronicling Police Response to July 7 Ambush

The Radio Television Digital News Association has awarded The Dallas Morning News the National Edward R. Murrow Award for a 2018 story that chronicled the police response to a gunman's July 7, 2016, ambush in downtown Dallas that left five Dallas officers dead and numerous others injured."Standoff," written by freelance reporter Jamie Thompson, won the excellence in writing category for large digital news organizations."What a thrill to win an award named for one of America's great truth tellers," said Morning News editor Mike Wilson, who oversaw the story. "The events of July 7 will long be remembered in Dallas history, and we were pleased to be able to tell the full story."Thompson's story was the result of months of time spent with Dallas SWAT officers and extensive in-depth interviews and records research that, for the first time, provided a behind-the-scenes look at how police cornered and killed gunman Micah Johnson.Johnson had opened fire on crowds gathered to protest the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. He specifically targeted police officers. Killed were Dallas police Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48; Dallas police Officer Michael Krol, 40; Dallas police Sgt. Michael Smith, 55; Dallas Area Rapid Transit police Officer Brent Thompson, 43; and Dallas police Officer Patrick Zamarripa, 32. The Murrow awards, one of the most prestigious honors for broadcast journalism, are selected from more than 4,600 entries in 16 categories. They are named for Edward R. Murrow, the CBS news journalist who gained fame for his reports as a World War II correspondent.The News won in 2014 for the same category, in 2015 for investigative reporting done alongside KXAS-TV (NBC5), and in 2017 for breaking news coverage of the July 7 shootings."These winning pieces from news organizations large and small have educated, uplifted, inspired, uncovered and enlightened," Dan Shelley, executive director of the Radio Television Digital News Association, said in a prepared statement. "We're proud to recognize the most outstanding ways journalists are keeping the public informed, holding the powerful accountable and enhancing the quality of life in their communities."  Continue reading...

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