The Edward R. Murrow Student Awards are among the most distinguished awards in student journalism. According to the Radio Television Digital News Association, the award “recognizes 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.”
The Murrow Awards are open to anyone enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or high school student. Students can submit their work in eight categories ranging from podcasting to digital reporting.
Montclair State University’s On the Road: Reporting from the Field course won the Video Newscast category with their Spring 2024 production, “Arizona Stories: Border, Water, and Politics“, which also received two Student Emmys at the 44th College Television Awards earlier this year.
The crew for On the Road: Reporting from the Field: Arizona Stories: Border, Water, and Politics in Spring 2024. Photo by Kathleen Reddington
Senior producer Izzy Conklin shared her reactions on the win. “I was shocked more than I was when we won the Emmy for [the production],” Conklin stated. “And this time instead of sitting surrounded by people I worked on this project with, I was sitting at my desk in the studio sipping my water when I looked up the winners and saw that we won two extremely prestigious awards.”
Conklin was also involved in Montclair State’s News Lab course Fall 2024 production, “FOCUS Democracy: Our Election“, which won in the Video Hard News category. Conklin explained how it felt being a part of both winning productions.
“I feel so grateful to have led both of these teams to such an amazing win,” Conklin shared. “But to me it’s never been about these awards, doing the work to me is the best part and I’m so happy that Montclair State University has set me up to keep doing that work in the professional world.”
Professor Mark Effron and Professor Vernard Gantt teach the News Lab course, where they guide students in the projects and emphasize the importance of students doing the work themselves and learning from the process. Professor Effron shared the importance of winning the Murrow Awards to his students.
“I will say that the Murrow Awards are kind of the gold standard,” Effron shared. “If you’re in journalism, winning a Murrow Award is a big, big deal. For our students to win not just one Murrow Award, but two… it’s great for these students.”
Professor Gantt explains that these awards will not significantly change their approach but will continue to inspire students. “We’re doing it to create a sense among the students,” Gantt stated. “That they are indeed capable and have the ability to grow and get stronger and lead. We’re really about creating leaders.”
Students will receive their awards at the 2025 Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on Oct. 13 at Gotham Hall in New York City.
