BGA Earns Two Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

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Two collaborative stories by the Better Government Association — one with NBC5 Investigates and Telemundo Chicago that examined the cost of sexual harassment in government and the other with WBEZ that detailed the changing landscape of American suburbs — won 2019 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

The Murrow Awards, established in 1971, recognize outstanding achievements in electronic journalism and are presented to radio, television and digital outlets.

The winning stories were:

• “An American Suburb, 2018,” which examined poverty in U.S. suburbs through the lens of Dolton, a once-prosperous suburb south of Chicago. It was recognized for Best News Series in Large Market Radio. The BGA partnered with WBEZ, the NPR Chicago affiliate, on the story. The multi-part series first aired on WBEZ and complimented a black and white photo gallery as well as a four-chapter written story from the BGA.

• “You, Too: The Public Cost of Sexual Harassment,” an in-depth investigation into the cost of government sexual misconduct throughout Illinois and Northwest Indiana. It was recognized for Best Investigative Reporting in the Large Market Television category. The BGA partnered with NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago on the project.

Both Murrow Awards, which are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, were for the region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Across the nation, 4,600 entries were submitted for the competition and more than 720 regional winners were selected. National winners will be announced in June.

The BGA has received nine national honors for its work in the past year.

The BGA also has 16 finalist nominations in next month’s Peter Lisagor Awards, which is hosted by the Chicago Headline Club and recognizes the best in Chicago journalism. The BGA has two of the three finalist spots for the top honor at the ceremony — the Watchdog Award. Those two are for “Taking Cover,” an investigation by the BGA and WBEZ into suburban police shootings and “Recycling in Chicago,” which exposed major problems in the city’s recycling program. The Lisagor award winners will be announced in May.