NBC 5 Wins Six Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, Including “Overall Excellence”

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) awarded NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXAS six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for journalistic excellence, the most won by a Texas television station. The awards recognize the best in electronic journalism produced by radio, television, and online news organizations around the world.

The prestigious honors include:

• Overall Excellence: NBC 5 / KXAS’s commitment to community, storytelling, and efforts to hold the powerful accountable is highlighted in this year’s entry. The station’s coverage of breaking news, public health concerns, weather, politics, in-depth investigations, and exclusive interviews set the station apart in providing meaningful stories to North Texas viewers.

• Breaking News Coverage: On July 7, 2016, a gunman opened fire on police as a peaceful protest drew to a close in downtown Dallas. For the next 16 hours NBC 5 crews worked to bring critical information and perspective to an act of violence that reshaped the community and became national headlines. The station’s “Dallas Officers Ambushed” coverage ensured that a breadth of community voices were reflected on-air and online through social media platforms as the city healed.

• Investigative Reporting: NBC 5 Investigates found that Dallas County Schools (DCS) bus drivers weren’t paying their fines after running red lights, which led to uncovering a series of issues including major safety concerns, misuse of taxpayer money, and a general violation of public trust in a public agency responsible for transporting more than 75,000 school children daily. Following the airing of “Big Buses, Bigger Problems: Investigating DCS” by NBC 5 Investigates senior reporter Scott Friedman, producer Eva Parks and photographer Peter Hull, 13 DCS school bus drivers were fired and 229 suspended, while the agency’s director along with three senior managers stepped down. The Texas House and Senate are considering bills that would phase out the agency’s operating authority.

Excellence in Sound: NBC 5’s “The Mariachi” features the hard work it takes to be a member of Mariachi Sol Azteca as the band strives for a national championship and the additional challenge for musician Joshua Riddick, one of few African American mariachis competing at the high school level in the country. The story was produced by NBC 5 reporter Kristin Dickerson and photojournalist Mike Richard.

The Mariachi Sol Azteca at the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy are among the best groups in Texas, under the guidance of Marta Ocampo.

• Excellence in Video: “A Compass to Lead Them Home” covers the unseen traffic in Dallas – human trafficking – and puts a face to the widespread problem by interviewing a human trafficking survivor and an app developer who created a system to anonymously report suspected human trafficking. First airing in NBC 5 News at 10 p.m., the story was accompanied by an hour-long Facebook Live session answering viewers’ questions and ultimately reaching more than 10 million people. NBC 5 reporter Noelle Walker and photojournalist Ryan Oliveira produced the story.

Texas is second in the country for the number of human trafficking cases. A North Texas woman has developed an app, hoping to help victims get the help they need.

• Sports Reporting: – Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott shocked the sports world going from a fourth-round draft pick to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. Through “Haughton’s Hero” NBC 5 sports reporter Pat Doney and photojournalist Noah Bullard take viewers to Prescott hometown, Haughton, Louisiana where friends and family will always remember the disciplined and well-mannered high school football player who led his team to the greatest season in school history.

Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is fast becoming an NFL star, but he is already a hero in his hometown of Haughton, Louisiana, where he carried the Haughton Bucaneers to a district title in a season the community will never forget.

“The Edward R. Murrow awards recognize the best news organizations, so it’s a great honor for the entire NBC 5 team to be recognized by the RTDNA for numerous awards including Overall Excellence,” said Tom Ehlmann, NBC 5 President and General Manager. “Across-the-board recognition for our journalists and station in categories like sports and investigative reporting, breaking news, and the use of sound and video, demonstrates the dedication of our team to continually inform and uncover stories that matter most to North Texans.”

The prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Awards are presented annually by the RTDNA, the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism.

Today’s regional winners automatically advance to the national competition, which will be judged in June 2017. The regional award winners will automatically advance to the national competition, which will be judged in June 2017. The national awards will be presented in October 2017 at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala in New York City.

About NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXAS

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXAS is the NBC Owned television station serving the communities of North Texas with quality news and entertainment programming on NBC 5, COZI TV (Digital 5.2), online at NBCDFW.com and our other digital and social media platforms.

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