Michigan Radio expanded its list of honors in 2015 with two recent awards from the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Michigan Radio’s Dustin Dwyer was recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) with a Salute to Excellence Award in the Radio News: Short Form category, for “11 years before Ferguson, there was outrage in Benton Harbor. Have things changed?” The story looked at an incident that occurred in Benton Harbor in 2003 after a young black man died following an encounter with police. The story was part of Michigan Radio’s State of Opportunity project, a multi-year initiative looking at what can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for Michigan’s most disadvantaged children. The NABJ’s Salute to Excellence Awards recognize journalism that best covers the black experience or addresses issues affecting the worldwide black community during the year.
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) acknowledged Michigan Radio with the Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting, Large Market - Honorable Mention for the "Politics of Poison" series about high arsenic levels in Michigan’s water supply. The series was produced by David Heath and Rebecca Williams, reporting for The Center for Public Integrity, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and Michigan Radio’s The Environment Report. According to the SEJ judges, the series “…followed the data, the money and the politics while telling a story of national importance.” SEJ's journalism contest is the world's largest and most comprehensive awards competition for journalism on environmental topics.
You can find a complete list of Michigan Radio's 2015 journalism awards here.