KNKX Public Radiohas won six awards from the Public Media Journalists Association for its work in 2020. These national awards honor the best work produced by public media outlets across the United States. Stations compete against similar-sized newsrooms.
Overall, judges reviewed nearly 1,300 entries.
KNKX earned four first place awards and two second place awards in Division A (news staff of eight to 15).
Podcast and Collaborative Effort, both first place: Outsiders, the podcast produced by reporter Will James in collaboration with the Seattle Times’ Project Homeless, examined rising levels of homelessness on the West Coast and offered a close-up view of the unsheltered.
Commentary, first place: Reporter Kari Plog reflected about becoming pregnant after a miscarriage and during the pandemic and what that meant to her and her husband.
Writing, first place:In December, reporter Paula Wissel looked at the true story of Tacoma’s Ivan the gorilla in light of the release of the movie “The One and Only Ivan.”
Continuing Coverage, second place:Reporter Ashley Gross explored the impact of the pandemic on schools. She looked at in-person classes in Port Townsend, the rise of online public schools, and how schooling at home affected working parents. She also told the stories of students and staff members at Keithley Middle School in Parkland, including the back-to-school ritual in the time of COVID and the efforts of one teacher to connect with his students through a screen.
Series, second place: Kari Plog investigated the system of medical examiners and elected coroners in Washington in a three-part series, poring over documents and talking to people in the industry and those affected by their work.
You can find the complete list of PMJA winners here.
It’s been a successful year for the KNKX news team. In May, the station won five regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, including the Overall Excellence Award for large-market radio stations.
