The Radio Television Digital News Association has honored Michigan Radio with a RTDNA/UNITY Award for its recent “Infant Mortality in Michigan” documentary. Michigan Radio received the award in the large market radio category.
The RTDNA/UNITY Award honors outstanding television, radio and online journalism focused on diversity and covering issues of race and ethnicity. This year, six news organizations in America were recognized. Other recipients were WJW-TV, Cleveland and ESPN in the Television category, The Boston Globe in the Online News category, and WFPL-FM, Louisville and StateoftheRe:Union from PRX and NPR in the Radio category. This is Michigan Radio’s second UNITY Award; the first was awarded for the station’s 2011 series “Muslims in Michigan.”
The “Infant Mortality in Michigan” documentary was produced by Michigan Radio’s Jennifer Guerra and examined the disparity in race and infant mortality rates in Michigan. The documentary is part of Michigan Radio’s “State of Opportunity” project, a multi-year initiative looking at what can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for Michigan’s most disadvantaged children. State of Opportunity is funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“This national RTDNA/UNITY Award is a tremendous acknowledgement of important journalism from the State of Opportunity team,” said Stephen Schram, Michigan Radio’s Director of Broadcasting. “We also extend our thanks and congratulations to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation whose sole support of State of Opportunity makes this work possible.”
The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) is the world's largest professional organization exclusively serving the electronic news profession, consisting of more than 3,000 news directors, news associates, educators and students. RTDNA developed the RTDNA/ UNITY award with UNITY: Journalists of Color as part of a shared commitment to achieving diversity in the newsroom through developing news content and editorial staffs that reflect the changing face of America.
