Michigan Radio Reporter Lindsey Smith, Senior Editor Sarah Hulett and News Director Vincent Duffy were in New York City earlier this week to accept a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Not Safe To Drink, the station’s documentary about the Flint water crisis. The award was presented by The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) in the Large Market Radio – News Documentary category.
The Not Safe to Drink documentary traced the story of the Flint water crisis, and how the water in the city became unsafe to drink and use for cooking. The documentary first aired on Michigan Radio in December, 2015 and helped call national attention to the crisis. Not Safe to Drink was reported and produced by Lindsey Smith and edited by Sarah Hulett, with reporting help from Michigan Radio‘s Steve Carmody, Rebecca Williams and Mark Brush and editing help from Jennifer Guerra.
“People living in Flint deserve so much credit for sharing their stories. They were largely responsible for initially exposing the problem,” said Michigan Radio’s Lindsey Smith. “The water in Flint is still not safe to drink without a filter. This fact was not lost on me as I accepted this award. I'm just happy I was able to give people in Flint some justice, although still incomplete, by telling their story to a national audience at a critical time.”
The Edward R. Murrow Awards recognize the highest quality work produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world. A total of 18 public radio stations nationwide received National Murrow Awards in various categories, in addition to NPR and “This American Life.” Presenters for the event at New York's Gotham Hall included NBC's Lester Holt, ABC News Radio's Aaron Katersky, NPR's Michael Oreskes, CBS' Elaine Quijano and RTDNA Chairman (and Michigan Radio News Director) Vincent Duffy.
