ATLANTA — The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) honored Channel 2 Action News with four 2015 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for overall excellence in electronic journalism.
“I’m pleased to announce Channel 2 Action News has received four regional 2015 Edward R. Murrow Awards,” said Mike Dreaden, Channel 2’s News Director. “Our news team works every day to investigate and uncover important stories that improve the communities we serve. Our reporters hold the powerful accountable, uncover and reveal government waste and dig deeper into breaking news stories to find the truth behind what happened.”
“I applaud the entire team here at Channel 2 for its daily dedication to investigative journalism and severe weather coverage,” said Tim McVay, Vice President and General Manager of WSB-TV. “We are gratified to be recognized with such prestige by our peers in the industry.”
The #1 television station in Atlanta was recognized in the Breaking News category for its comprehensive and in-depth coverage of "Snowmageddon," last year's winter storm that paralyzed the Atlanta Metro for days. With 39 hours of coverage and 24 reporters working on the story, the station set the pace well ahead of the other stations in the market. Channel 2's detailed reporting held local and state officials accountable for their critical failures to operate together when facing on-coming winter weather. The station's reporting resulted in an immediate change in how the governor's office communicates with city and county officials.
The Murrow judges presented the top award in the Investigative category to Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Erica Byfield with Producer Terah Boyd and Photographer LeVar James. Together, they investigated the death of a DeKalb County sheriff's recruit who died in training and prompted the county medical examiner to change the cause of death in the case. Byfield's investigation uncovered information previously unknown to the medical examiner, elected officials, law enforcement leaders and the jail recruits family.
In the Investigative Series category, Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Jodie Fleischer and Producer Josh Wade's report revealed the danger to drivers on Georgia highways posed by two different types of guardrail ends. The day Channel 2's story aired, GDOT announced it would suspend installation of the dangerous product pending further crash tests. GDOT also committed to mapping their locations and scheduling their removal to protect drivers.
Fleischer, Producer Patti Divincenzo and Wade also combined to win the Features category for their investigation into the death of Julie Lynn, ruled as a suicide 23 years before. Our first report aired in 2013, and caught the attention of the new coroner and district attorney in a small, rural county. In 2014, they contacted Bobbi Mosley, Julie's mother, and agreed to change her daughter's death certificate to read "undetermined" instead of "suicide."
“These reports showcase what we strive for every day; investigative stories that make a difference and life-saving weather coverage that keeps you and your family safe,” added Dreaden.
RTNDA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. As a regional winner, WSB-TV automatically competes for the national awards to be judged in June.
“From local, late-breaking news stories to local in-depth programs, Channel 2 remains committed to serve our community,” said McVay. “It is always gratifying for the station and staff members to receive recognition for straightforward, accurate and professional journalism.”
Breaking News entry: Snowmageddon https://vimeo.com/119515253
Investigation entry: Recruit Death https://vimeo.com/118492427
Investigative Series entry: Dangerous Guardrails https://vimeo.com/118499084
Features entry: Justice for Julie https://vimeo.com/101626418
About Channel 2 WSB-TV
The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Atlanta’s number one local television station. The station also operates its website,
, its mobile site, m.wsbtv.com, plus News, Weather and Traffic Apps, and airs MeTV on its digital sub-channel 2.2. WSB-TV also provides news, weather and traffic on Twitter @WSBTV and on WSB-TV’s Facebook page:
About Cox Media Group Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com
WSBTV
