WLRN earned 14 wins and four finalist honors in the Florida News Awards competition for journalism produced in 2022, including two individual achievements for Producer of the Year and Reporter of the Year.
The Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists presented the awards at a ceremony in Orlando on Saturday. More than 55 radio and television stations, including other public media stations in Florida, submitted more than 650 entries in the statewide competition.
“It’s a great recognition of the talent of this news team, doing what they do best: tell stories," said Sergio Bustos, WLRN's Vice President for News.
The themes of the winning work spanned from Florida's ever-changing power dynamics in the classroom, to LGBTQ rights and the post-Roe v. Wade climate.
"At WLRN News, we couldn’t be more proud and humbled by this recognition of our wide-ranging community journalism," says Jessica Bakeman, Director of Enterprise Journalism at WLRN. "Even as WLRN News underwent a once-in-a-decade leadership transition and reorganization effort, the work of our journalists shined as bright as ever."
Especially notable this year: Alyssa Ramos, Morning Edition producer, won individual honors for best producer; reporter Verónica Zaragovia picked up four individual first place awards; and a compilation of the station's stories around the 2022 election won the politics/government category.
Here's a full rundown of all of the accolades WLRN was awarded:
WINNERS
Investigative, Single: After Surfside, Miami changes rules to fast-track demolition. Affordable housing is in the crosshairs by Daniel Rivero
Politics/government, Single: The U.S. abortion rights movement is battered. What can it learn from Latin America? by Tim Padgett
Politics/government, Series/Program: Tallahassee Takeover: Florida's Democrats gave the state power over public health. Republicans ran with it by Daniel Rivero, Verónica Zaragovia
Politics/government, Station: Coverage of the 2022 elections, WLRN News
Series/franchise, Hard: Efforts to restrict instruction on race, LGBTQ issues in South Florida classrooms by Kate Payne:
- With election wins and appointments, DeSantis expands his influence over Florida's largest school districts
- Some South Florida teachers say 'Don't Say Gay' law is making them consider leaving the classroom
- Outcry over 'Don't Say Gay' bill has fueled activism across the state. Here's one student's story
- Palm Beach County school district tells teachers to review classroom library books for references to racism, sexism and oppression
Continuing coverage: The aftermath of the Surfside Condo collapse, by Verónica Zaragovia:
- We’re looking for respect: Why families of Surfside victims are still battling for a ‘fitting’ memorial
- First responders continue to work on healing a year after the condo building collapse in Surfside
- How a court will decide on the value of each human life lost in Surfside's condo building collapse
- Heroes at work, rock stars on the weekend: Meet Miami-Dade's Fire Brigade
Transportation reporting: Bus operators are in high demand to fill openings with Miami-Dade County by Verónica Zaragovia
Use of sound: Heroes at work, rock stars on the weekend: Meet Miami-Dade's Fire Brigade by Verónica Zaragovia
Health reporting: Florida's severe child psychiatrist shortage keeps one provider in Miami-Dade up at night by Verónica Zaragovia
Climate/environmental reporting: Reporting on the changing climate and the environment by Jenny Staletovich:
- Marine debris is a chronic problem killing wildlife. A cop and a dolphin defy the odds
- Century-old canals ripped open Florida's southern cape and ushered in rising seas. Now there's a plan to fix them
- These hurricane flood maps reveal the climate future for Miami, NYC and D.C.
- As Everglades City recovers from another hurricane, are there lessons to be learned by Florida?
Sports reporting, single: First openly gay couple in Brazilian jiu-jitsu launches Boynton Beach school, urges change in sport by Wilkine Brutus
Sports reporting, series: The World Cup as it played out in South Florida by the WLRN News team:
- In the World Cup, when Brazil wins, Haiti wins
- Why do some countries like Haiti and Pakistan love Brazilian soccer?
- South Florida's Argentina fans spill into the streets to cheer first World Cup win in decades
Website/digital: WLRN News staff digital coverage of the 2022 elections, WLRN team
Producer of the Year: Alyssa Ramos
FINALISTS
Feature, light: Tinta y Cafe bring it home: How the Miami restaurant is earning its chops in the food world by Alyssa Ramos
Public affairs: Sundial: Writer Nadege Green creates a record of gun violence in her native Miami
Education reporting: An arrest at a Miami-Dade School Board meeting raises civil liberties concerns by Kate Payne
Reporter of the Year: Daniel Rivero
See a full list of the winners here.
