As journalists prepare for covering next week’s inauguration, amid reports by the FBI of myriad threats, they deserve recognition for the essential service they provide our communities every day. For the past four years, the media has been repeatedly under attack in the U.S., being called “fake news” and “enemy of the people” by the president and his supporters. Disinformation has proliferated on the internet. Truth is under attack. Last week’s violent assault on the U.S. Capitol displayed how fragile our democracy is—it also showed how resolute our fellow journalists are in working to preserve it, despite threats and physical assaults. We all should be grateful that they were there and committed to bringing us the unfolding story as it happened.

Led by radio and television host Callie Crossley, GBH News journalists won two awards from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) during the 2020 Salute to Excellence Award ceremony on Saturday, December 19. The NABJ Awards recognize the best reporting about the Black experience or issues affecting the Black community.

Our democracy is founded on the premise of local autonomy, and municipal government is the lifeblood of any city or town, designed to offer services to the public consistent with the values of government by and for the people. In a similar way, public media—through our mission of public service—provides our community with access to local news and information through independent journalism that covers and reports on our elected officials and civic leaders. But we seldom see the day-to-day operations of city government that are a quiet part of democracy in action.

On December 20 viewers will see a once-in-a-lifetime musical and visual tour de force that defies myriad technical, public health and logistical challenges. "Handel’s 'Messiah' For Our Time" will be broadcast on GBH 2 and will stream on YouTube, Facebook, wgbh.org, classicalWCRB.org, and handelandhaydn.org. The choral classic was recorded and filmed in GBH Fraser Performance Studio and GBH’s Calderwood studio following strict COVID-19 protocols over 10 days in November.

For our 'You & Julia: At Home' series, Straughter made Julia’ Childs famous Coq Au Vin from her home kitchen. We talked to Straughter about Julia's legacy and how the pandemic has affected the restaurant industry.

The lights will come up on "A Christmas Celtic Sojourn" this month, thanks to a quarantined “bubble band” assembled by host Brian O’Donovan. He and an international troupe of singers and dancers will deliver the beloved holiday show as they have for 17 years. The virtual performances, which start on December 11, provide a stirring blend of Celtic, pagan and Christian traditions, says O’Donovan, host of GBH 89.7’s "A Celtic Sojourn." To create the show, O’Donovan and his 11-member performing troupe went into quarantine in late October, enabling them to be together for 10 days of rehearsals and recording sessions.

Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," loves when listeners tell her that they’ve never heard of the guests on her show. For her, introducing new voices into the conversation is what makes radio compelling, important and interesting. Her show, which airs Sundays on GBH 89.7 at 6pm, gives audiences an opportunity to hear diverse community voices sharing stories that media outlets typically ignore.

More than 350 items — from a Marc Chagall lithograph, a Josh Groban microphone, New England getaways and fine wines to Boston sports memorabilia — are up for bid at the now-live GBH Holiday auction. These items were curated by a team of 15 volunteers who tapped their personal and professional networks to garner a unique collection of donations.

When the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced its 2020 Salute to Excellence Award nominations, GBH News received six nods — more than any other media organization in the Top 15 Radio and Television Markets categories.

There is perhaps no greater exercise in democracy than the election of a national leader, and no greater test of the media’s role in upholding transparency and educating the electorate. We take this mission to heart. All year, GBH News has held virtual events to ensure voters are prepared for Election 2020, including our recent news forums on bridging the partisan divide, polling and spotting fake news and our MA ballot question primer. That’s in addition to FRONTLINE’s documentaries "The Choice" and "Whose Vote Counts" and American Experience’s "The Vote."