National Awards
Among the national awards JPR earned this year is a prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award. These awards are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) to newsrooms whose work demonstrates the spirit of excellence that Edward R. Murrow set as a standard for the broadcast journalism profession. JPR received recognition among small market newsrooms in the category of Investigative Reporting for its September 2023 story 鈥淒A Charges Former Ashland Massage Therapist with Sexual Abuse.鈥� The story was reported by JPR reporter Jane Vaughan and edited by JPR News Director Erik Neumann. Jane worked on this story over several months as the Jackson County District Attorney conducted its investigation and we published and broadcast it shortly after the DA filed charges. According to JPR News Director Erik Neumann, her reporting 鈥渞elied on numerous public records requests from county and state agencies, multiple background interviews with friends and family members of victims to corroborate accounts of sexual abuse, and tireless attempts to get comment from individuals named in court documents.鈥� This is the second National Murrow Award earned by the JPR newsroom and the first in the Investigative Reporting category.
Another news organization that recently recognized JPR鈥檚 local journalism is the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA), a group that highlights the best audio journalism produced by public radio stations nationwide. JPR earned four first place 2024 PMJA awards in the following categories:
- Continuing Coverage: 鈥�After the Dams: Restoring the Klamath鈥� 鈥� Reporting by Juliet Grable, Erik Neumann and Jane Vaughan
- Digital Writing: 鈥�After a century of displacement, Shasta Indian Nation sees hope in dam removal鈥� 鈥� Reporting by Juliet Grable
- Interview: 鈥�Exploring life with a death doula鈥� 鈥� Interview by Vanessa Finney
- Student Podcast: 鈥�Fresh Eyes: High school podcasters explore the recent spate of 'swatting' events鈥� 鈥� Reported and produced by the Truth to Power team at Ashland High School with editing by JPR Producer Angela Decker and News Director Erik Neumann.
Regional Awards
In addition to national recognition, JPR also earned five regional awards from The Society of Professional Journalists Region 10, which covers the western states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. JPR received awards in the small market audio division for the following stories:
- Audio / Environment & Natural Disaster Reporting: First Place - Roman Battaglia and Hal Bernton, 鈥�A giant Oregon wildfire shows the limits of carbon offsets in fighting climate change鈥�
- Audio / Investigative Reporting: First Place - Roman Battaglia, 鈥�Lawsuits against Ashland parks department highlight lack of oversight鈥�
- Audio / Feature - Soft News: First Place - Roman Battaglia, 鈥�Ukrainian family recalls one year since fleeing to Ashland鈥�
- Writing / Series: First Place - Juliet Grable, 鈥�After the dams: Restoring the Klamath鈥�
- Audio / Feature - Hard News: Second Place - Jane Vaughan, 鈥�Royal Oaks move-in delayed by uninhabitable homes. Now what?鈥�
Looking back, the breadth and depth of JPR鈥檚 coverage is as varied and diverse as the communities we serve. It is also a direct reflection of the commitment our listeners have made to enable us to expand our newsroom by supporting our local journalism.
