I have a complicated relationship with journalism awards.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great when recognition is given for the excellent work being done in the Texas Public Radio newsroom. But awards are not why we do what we do.
We do the reporting to serve our listeners, raise awareness of issues and galvanize the community as we face concerns about justice, democracy, compassion and mutual support.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of journalism awards on the shelves at TPR and more are coming.
The Texas Association of Broadcasters recently announced that its recognizing “Diagnosis Diabetes”, a radio documentary I produced with Yvette Benavides, with an award for public affairs.
Joey Palacios is being awarded for best use of sound for his story on “Día de los Muertos takes on a new meaning in Uvalde.”
Also, I’m being recognized for my general assignments reporting and am a finalist for best political reporting.
Furthermore, Paul Flahive and Brian Kirkpatrick are also nominated for awards.
And to top it off – The TPR Newsroom is a finalist for an award from The Texas Association of Broadcasters in the category of “Overall Excellence.”
Awards are one metric to gauge the quality journalism this newsroom is delivering, but there are other ways to measure our success, for instance – listener support.
I’d trade all the fancy plaques and trophies if I could convince more folks to listen and support Texas Public Radio.
Nothing can compare to when I hear from a listener how a story I covered impacted their life or helped them see the world a little differently.
Your support is better than any journalism award and it’s the only thing that matters.
Collectively, sustaining support from TPR listeners gives us the platform to serve the community.
You can sustain TPR's work here.
Sincerely,
David Martin Davies.
