Wyoming Public Radio won two Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards for reporting. It’s the fourth straight year WPR has been honored and also the fourth time the station has won multiple awards in Region 3, which includes commercial and non-commercial stations in Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. The Radio Television Digital News Association hands out one award for each category.
WPR won the award for Best Hard News Story for Tennessee Watson’s piece called Mobile Home Owners Have Less Financial Mobility. It shows how mobile home owners do not have the same access to the American dream because of how mobile homes are classified.
Watson also won the award for Best News Series for her stories on how the University of Wyoming has been handling cases of sexual misconduct. The series brought a lot of attention to the issue and led to some positive changes at the university.
Wyoming Public Radio News Director Bob Beck said, "Tennessee is a wonderful and thorough reporter. When we hired her she was already an accomplished investigative journalist and she’s used those skills to report on a wide range of subjects. All of us in the newsroom are thrilled for her and these awards are well deserved."
Watson thanked the sources who told their stories through her.
"I can't report without the trust and confidence of those who share their lived experience, of those who believe engaging with journalists is essential to democracy. So, it's with deep gratitude to those individuals that I say it’s an honor to be recognized as an Edward R. Murrow regional winner."
