OPB today announced that Business and Economics Reporter Kate Davidson has won a 2021 Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) national Edward R. Murrow Award for her reporting on the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across Oregon.
She received the award in the “Large Market Radio” category for her continuing audio coverage of the pandemic’s economic fallout in the state.
The Murrow awards recognize outstanding work in digital, radio and television journalism in technical and editorial categories. Davidson’s was one of 5,200 entries in the contest.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and before Oregon officially announced any COVID-19 cases, Davidson reported on the fears some business had about the virus in Portland’s Jade District, she tracked the effect of the pandemic on gig workers, she dug into the insurance ramifications on businesses as well as the ripple effects through a single building in Northeast Portland. She also closely tracked the enormous difficulties at the state’s Employment Department and what they meant for individuals thrown out of work.
Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.
Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.
The RTDNA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism. RTDNA’s mission is to promote and protect responsible journalism and defend the First Amendment rights of electronic journalists throughout the country.