The Mountain West News Bureau, in collaboration with the Boise State Public Radio newsroom, has won a regional 2020 Edward R. Murrow Award for its investigative podcast LOCKED.
The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), which oversees the awards, announced winners of the regional contest Tuesday.
Named after the famed 20th century journalist, Edward R. Murrow, the awards recognize the best in journalism – radio, television and online – among both commercial and non-commercial media.
"We are honored to be recognized with this award,” said Kate Concannon, managing editor for the Mountain West News Bureau and the LOCKED podcast. “This story is complicated and the issue at the heart of it is incredibly sensitive. The investigative podcast format allowed us to give the many elements of this story the care, nuance, balance and depth that they deserve.”
2020 is the first year stations could compete in the podcast category after RTDNA created it last year. LOCKED won in large market radio in region three.
“This was also our bureau’s first foray into the podcasting world and we were fortunate that we could collaborate with the news team at Boise State Public Radio and benefit from their expertise in this realm,” Concannon said.
The podcast follows the story of a transgender inmate who sued the state of Idaho for sex reassignment surgery. In five episodes, LOCKED breaks down the constitutional rights of inmates under the 8th Amendment and explores how Edmo’s case could establish new medical care standards for certain transgender inmates.
The final episodes of the podcast are forthcoming, pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear or decline the case.
In addition to Concannon, the LOCKED team includes host/reporter Amanda Peacher, reporter/producer Frankie Barnhill, reporter James Dawson and writer/producer Lacey Daley."It's especially exciting to receive recognition in such a competitive category, given our small team," said Barnhill. "To compete against larger news outlets and win is humbling, and speaks to the resonance of Adree's story."
LOCKED now advances to the national round of the competition, where it will compete against regional winners from across the country.
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