Global Alberta wins 4 regional RTDNA Edward R. Murrow awards

Global Calgary and Global Edmonton have won two regional RTDNA Edward R. Murrow awards each.

“We are so proud of our award-winning team of journalists and congratulate each and every person at Global News for their professionalism and tireless drive to deliver the stories that matter to Albertans,” said Kenton Boston, VP of news and information for Western Canada at Corus Entertainment Inc. “We do so each and every day online, on radio and on TV. Thank you.”

Global Calgary was awarded the Excellence in Innovation award for Decision Calgary, our coverage of the 2017 municipal election.

Our journalists used new media technology to broadcast live throughout our four-hour election special: a seamless presentation on TV, radio and online—both our website and on Facebook Live—without interruption to content or viewers. We enhanced our interactive coverage by soliciting municipal topics from our viewers on all platforms, then created topic-based Q&As from each mayoral candidate ahead of election night. We provided live results from Calgary and municipalities across Alberta—meeting the needs of viewers in the city and beyond. Our interactive Facebook Live allowed for real-time responses and conversation between viewers and Global Calgary.

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Global Calgary also picked up the News Series award for Unconventional Comfort, a series by Nancy Hixt.

A Calgary mother struggling to hold onto the one thing helping her cope with mental illness faced a problem: it’s an unconventional source of comfort that was not allowed in Calgary. Owning chickens goes against the responsible pet ownership bylaw because the animals are considered livestock. There was no mechanism to apply for or be granted an exemption, but following the Global News series, the city committed to re-examining the bylaw late last year.

2:43 Unconventional Comfort: Calgary sex abuse survivor told she can’t keep emotional support animals

• Unconventional Comfort: Calgary sex abuse survivor told she can’t keep emotional support animals
• Unconventional Comfort: Is a Calgary bylaw in violation of a sex abuse victim’s charter rights?
• Unconventional Comfort: ‘Nobody is coming to take those chickens away’
• Unconventional Comfort: City to hear notice of motion to allow for non-traditional emotional support animals

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Global Edmonton earned two awards for Fort McMurray: The Road Back – the News Documentary award and the Excellence in Writing award.

The country watched the Fort McMurray wildfire with fascination and the images of tens of thousands of people fleeing down the highway has stayed with us. But their route out of the burning community was also their road back, and the fire made many realize Fort McMurray was truly home, even if their roots were elsewhere. On the one-year anniversary of the 2016 fire, Global Edmonton dedicated a half hour of Global News Hour at 6 to Fort McMurray: The Road Back. Powerfully written and illustrated with poignant graphics, the special shared the stories of those rebuilding their homes and their lives.

We sought not only to update where the people of Fort McMurray were, but also to convey the enormity of what they’d been through, and what they still faced. Fort McMurray: The Road Back relied heavily on the people of Fort McMurray telling their own stories. The words chosen by the writers of this documentary brought life to what the people themselves could not express and brought context to those who had not experienced the terrible disaster first-hand.

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news, honouring outstanding achievements in journalism since 1971.

“Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Murrow set as a standard for the profession of broadcast and digital journalism,” the organization says.

Regional Murrow Awards are presented to small and large radio, television and digital outlets based on 14 geographic regions; regional winners are automatically considered for a national award.