Vermont Public Radio has won four national awards for its news coverage in 2019 from the Public Media Journalists Association (formerly Public Radio News Directors Incorporated). The winning pieces included an episode of VPR’s people-powered journalism project Brave Little State, and This Land, VPR’s collaboration with Vermont PBS about the changing story of rural Vermont:
- First Place, Audience Engagement Program: Brave Little State: How Can Vermonters Drive Less?
- Second Place, Collaborative Effort: This Land: The Changing Story of Rural Vermont
- Second Place, Feature: ‘12 Hours Of Burpee Madness’: Marine Vet Uses World Record Attempt To Build Suicide Awareness
- Second Place, News Feature: Caledonia Judge Unlawfully Ordered Arrests Of Debtors For Years
“The PMJA Awards are especially meaningful because they’re judged by our peers at other public media stations,” said Vice President of News Sarah Ashworth. “As a public broadcaster, we are accountable to the community we serve. Over the last year we’ve focused on deepening our partnership with VPR’s audience through Brave Little State, so it’s a thrill to see the program recognized for that work in particular.”
The PMJA Awards is the only national competition devoted to recognizing the best work in public radio journalism. VPR competes in the AA Division with major metro public radio stations including WBUR in Boston, WBEZ in Chicago, and WNYC in New York. This year, 179 awards were presented to 84 organizations, from more than 1,300 entries across the country. A full list of award winners, along with links to the winning pieces, can be found here.
