WFYI, IPB receive multiple national awards from the Public Media Journalists Association

WFYI received multiple national awards at the Public Media Journalists Association's annual conference this week. Stories and features from WFYI News, Side Effects Public Media, and Indiana Public Broadcasting were honored. 

Some of that reporting has led to tangible changes in people’s lives, including allowing young siblings to keep their childhood home after their mother passed away, a woman being able to successfully dispute hundreds of dollars in unfair medical bills after a preventative procedure, and chronicling the journey of a neurosurgeon from Gaza who had to make some gut wrenching decisions. 

The recognized work from the statewide team, which won the Multimedia award, also demonstrated the power of innovative storytelling. The journalists created an interactive activity that draws inspiration from classic 1990s computer games turning the complex process of state lawmaking in Indiana into a fun computer game.

Notably, WFYI won both awards in its division for Investigative Reporting. Some of that reporting spurred important conversations around police response to mental illness crises and the use of force.

WFYI and Side Effects Public Media also won first place in the National Feature category, which honors reporting from public media stations across all divisions. 

The Public Media Journalists Association, or PMJA, is a national group that supports journalists who work at public radio and television stations across the country.

Awards and recognitions include the following: 

• Investigative Reporting, First Place, Farrah Anderson & Farah Yousry, WFYI/ Side Effects Public Media - "Indianapolis police use excited delirium to explain in-custody deaths. It s a debunked diagnosis"
• National Feature, First Place, Farah Yousry, WFYI/Side Effects Public Media - "Why this neurosurgeon chose to stay in his beloved Gaza and why he left"
• Multimedia, First Place, Lauren Chapman, Indiana Public Broadcasting - "Can you survive Indiana’s legislative session: The game"
• Investigative Reporting, Second Place, Samantha Horton, WFYI - "When two Indianapolis teens lost their mother, Habitat for Humanity tried to foreclose on their home" (WFYI's Dylan Peers McCoy contributed reporting to this story)
• Health/Medical Feature, Second Place, Farah Yousry, WFYI/Side Effects Public Media - "Her colonoscopy should cost her $0 per federal law. Why was she asked to pay $765?"

In addition, WFYI’s Farrah Anderson was awarded first place in Collaborative Effort for her work with Illinois Public Media before joining the organization.

Side Effects Public Media is a health reporting collaboration of NPR member stations across the Midwest and is based out of WFYI in Indianapolis. 

Indiana Public Broadcasting is a collaboration among the state’s nine public media newsrooms, including WFYI.