KUNC News was honored with three national journalism awards at the annual Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) awards ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, last week, including top honors for a series of stories about the Marshall Fire survivors.
KUNC News earned First Place in the News Series category for Senior Editor and Reporter Leigh Paterson’s stories “From the Ashes.” The 3-part radio series highlights survivors of the Marshall Fire and the salvaged items they found in the disaster’s rubble.
Paterson worked in collaboration with The Boulder Reporting Lab’s Eli Imadali, who took photographs of thesurvivors and their keepsakes.
KUNC News’ coverage of water issues in the sprawling Colorado River Basin, led by Managing Editor Luke Runyon and Reporter Alex Hager, won second place in the Continuing Coverage category.
Runyon and Hager produced dozens of stories related to the Colorado River, snowpack and the region’s increasingly-scarce water resources. The team also partnered with public radio stations throughout the West, providing a comprehensive look at the region’s water crisis.
KUNC News also was awarded second place in the Investigative category for a series of stories about the cash payouts Colorado communities make to settle police misconduct complaints.
The two-part series was reported by former KUNC News reporter Michael de Yoanna. The investigation found that during the past decade, Northern Colorado’s largest cities spent nearly $50 million to settle more than 200 allegations against police — that’s roughly enough money to fund a police department the size of Boulder’s for a year.
“Winning three awards in the PMJA contest is a testament to KUNC’s commitment to delivering in-depth perspectives on pressing issues in Northern Colorado,” said KUNC Chief Audience and Content Officer Michael Arnold. “These accolades not only recognize the exceptional work of our investigative reporting and water desks, but they also underscore the value of KUNC’s reporting staff’s dedication to bringing important stories to our community that seek to understand breaking news stories and their aftermath.”
Last year, KUNC News launched a new investigative unit called the Northern Colorado Center for Investigative Reporting, or NCCIR. The center is dedicated to investigating topics, issues and stories of concern to the people of Northern Colorado. In addition to the PMJA award, other 2022 KUNC investigations recently were recognized with a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, and a first place Top of the Rockies award.
“The work the KUNC News team is doing is profound and in alignment with our mission to inform and strengthen the community and hold those in power accountable,” said KUNC President and CEO Tammy Terwelp. “The team works incredibly hard in service to our audiences to not just report what happened, but go deeper than others in the why and the long-term ramifications.”
KUNC is a community-licensed public radio station that provides free news, arts and culture coverage to audiences in Northern Colorado. Its mission is to cultivate the mind, to inspire and entertain, and to strengthen the community. KUNC is funded primarily by listeners.