Regional Murrow Award honors our COVID-19 data coverage

Regional Murrow Award honors our COVID-19 data coverage

I am proud that the RTDNA has once again honored my WCVB team with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for our digital coverage.

This time, our entry focused on our use of Massachusetts public health data in covering the COVID-19 pandemic.

My submission letter summarized the steps we took to create our own database culling information from daily and weekly state reports. For our five permitted examples, I included two links showcasing the progress of our main infographic display, two examples of how the same data has powered graphics for social media and a team reporting project that also made use of the data.

In writing this entry I selected a range of multi-platform and multi-format content surrounding the central COVID-19 data theme because I felt the RTDNA’s revised and consolidated category might be a good fit for that range content — and I’m happy the approach paid off!

I am also extremely grateful to my teammates for their contributions to these award-winning efforts. They kept the project going throughout a long and difficult year, even during my time on a family leave. The team’s collaborative efforts were also crucial to the project’s evolution over time.

After our regional win we are again under consideration for a national award.

Regardless of what happens in that stage of the contest, our team is committed to continuing this data reporting project until the pandemic comes under control.