DES MOINES, Iowa (April 16, 2021) – Iowa Public Radio (IPR) is pleased to announce that the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association (MBJA) has awarded seven awards of merit to IPR talk shows and news reporters for their annual Eric Sevareid Awards.
Awards of merit went to:
- IPR’s River to River for “Derecho Rescue” in the “Talk/Public Affairs” category. IPR’s Ben Kieffer hosts River to River. This show was also produced by IPR’s Rick Brewer.
- IPR's Talk of Iowa for "Using the Power of Art to Create Empathy and Change," as part of the series "Iowa Week 2020: Listening to Black Voices" in the "Documentary/Special" category. IPR's Charity Nebbe is the host of Talk of Iowa. This show was also produced by IPR's Matthew Alvarez, Katherine Perkins and Katelyn Harrop.
- In the "Series" category, IPR's news team won for "Systemic Racism's Legacy in Iowa." This series was produced by IPR's Katarina Sostaric, Kate Payne, Grant Gerlock, Katie Peikes, Natalie Krebs and Amy Mayer.
- In the “General Reporting” category, Katarina Sostaric won an award of merit for two of her stories of people affected by the actions of state government: "Voting Rights Restoration Backlog Leaves Iowans With Felony Convictions Waiting," and "Proposed Medical Cannabis Changes Worry Some Iowa Patients."
- In the “Hard News” category, IPR’s Kate Payne won an award of merit for her story, “Living in the Unlivable.” Sostaric also won for her story, "Coronavirus Keeps Nursing Home Residents Socially Isolated."
- In the "Sports" category, IPR's Katie Peikes won an award of merit for her story "Coronavirus Disrupts Iowa High School Baseball and Softball."
The Eric Sevareid Awards are named for the North Dakota-born and University of Minnesota-educated journalist best known for his work as a correspondent for CBS Radio and Television. Each year, the MBJA presents awards to the best work done by broadcast news operations and journalists working in small, medium and large markets in our six-state region on radio, television and online. The distinguished panel of judges is made up of journalists and educators who live outside of Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska to help ensure impartiality.
