KERA received three Texas Association of Broadcast News awards for large station reporting in 2022.
Health reporter Elena Rivera received first place in the Feature-Serious category for coverage of the challenges trans youth in Texas face with accessibility to gender-affirming care. Research has shown recent anti-trans laws passed in the state have had an increasingly negative impact on the mental health of trans and nonbinary youth.
For the Continuing Coverage category Miranda Suarez, Toluwani Osibamowo, Seth Bodine, Bekah Morr and Sandra Sadek received first place for their coverage of the Aaron Dean Trial. Dean, a former Fort Worth police officer who is white, fatally shot a black woman named Atatiana Jefferson through her bedroom window in 2019. Dean was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter.
And for Specialty/Beat Reporting, reporter Chris Connelly was awarded first place for a series on the growing debt that has burdened households since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The series’ coverage focused on inequality gaps that have been widened by the financial instability. Connelly was also a finalist in the Breaking News Category for “Roe V. Wade: Friends Discover Different Views” in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark case last year.
Additionally, Connelly, Ed Timms, Bret Jaspers, Stella Chavez and Alejandra Martinez were finalists in the Investigative Reporting category for a series titled “Vulnerable in Vickery.” The four-part coverage followed a lawsuit filed by the City of Dallas against the owner of an apartment community in the Vickery Meadow area in Northeast Dallas. Residents of the community, primarily immigrants from low-income households, were subjected to ongoing, unsafe living conditions, including faulty plumbing and roof leakage.
KERA’s fellow NPR affiliates in Texas were also recognized by the TAB for exceptional reporting, with Austin’s KUT winning two awards, and KUHF in Houston and the Texas Standard picking up one award each.
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