Boston (August 12, 2022) - Boston public media producer GBH was honored with four 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Awards by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). The awards recognize the local multiplatform outlet GBH News for embracing diversity, equity and inclusion and pay tribute to the groundbreaking PBS series FRONTLINE for innovative storytelling, documentary journalism and collaborative investigative reporting.
“Unearthing uncomfortable truths and elevating unheard voices through investigative journalism is one of the most important things we do at GBH,” said Jon Abbott, president and CEO of GBH. “It is a distinct honor to receive awards that demonstrate the scope of our unflinching investigations–whether it is a series about commercial sexual exploitation in our local neighborhoods, documentaries about insurrection at the highest levels of our government, or immersive programming exploring America’s racist past and present.”
GBH News was recognized in the “Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” category for the six-part investigative reporting series “Unseen: The Boy Victims of the Sex Trade.” The initiative from the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting revealed far more boys and young men are victims of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation than previously understood. The series demonstrated that gay males, addicted young men, trans females and youth of color are particularly at risk. “Unseen,” was reported for more than a year by Deputy Investigative Editor Jenifer McKim, Senior Investigative Reporter Phillip Martin and Investigations Editor Paul Singer. The reporting began in McKim’s investigative journalism class at Boston University.
GBH’s investigative journalism series FRONTLINE was recognized with three National Murrow awards, including:
● Un(re)solved, the multiplatform experience examining a federal effort to grapple with America’s legacy of racist killings won the “Excellence in Innovation” category. The web interactive and augmented-reality installation brings audiences into a virtual forest of quilted memories to learn more about people
whose deaths were re-examined through the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. The award also recognizes the project’s podcast, which expands on the story of civil rights-era cold cases and families still searching for justice.
● In collaboration with ProPublica and Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Project, American Insurrection won in the “Feature Documentary” category. The documentary traces the evolution of violent extremism in America, from the 2017 Charlottesville rally through the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
● In partnership with ProPublica, FRONTLINE also won in the "Continuing Coverage" category for The Insurrection and Extremism in America. The documentary investigates the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the rise of extremism in America. The award recognized the collaboration's deep reporting on the Boogaloo Bois, a militia-trained group committed to overthrowing the United States government.
Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in the news industry, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise, and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Here is the complete list of the 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Award recipients.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Arthur and Molly of Denali and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
