UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — WPSU, a Penn State student and several recent graduates received a Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) Excellence in Broadcasting Award for a series of stories they produced in 2023 as part of a collaborative project between WPSU and the News Lab at Penn State, housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
The Judges’ Merit Award went to WPSU’s “Navigating Inflation” by Abby Chachoute, Valeria Quiñones, Makenzie Christman and Lilly Riddle, who were student reporters on the project, and advisers Maggie Messitt, director of the News Lab and Norman Eberly Professor of Practice in Journalism, and WPSU-FM News Director Emily Reddy. The award was presented to WPSU and the News Lab at the PAB Excellence in Broadcasting Awards luncheon on April 26 in Harrisburg.
“Navigating Inflation” explored how residents of Tyrone were dealing with higher prices due to inflation.
The News Lab’s local reporting team travelled to Tyrone several times over a period of six months, starting in October 2022.
“This was an opportunity for slow journalism and the kind of field reporting and listening that breaking news doesn’t afford,” Messitt said. “Ultimately, the team decided to produce a series of mini profiles on business owners, residents and workers in the community. Our partnership with WPSU not only allowed our student journalists to envision where this collection would be published, but it led us to also include audio features. It was an outstanding professional experience for the News Lab team and a masterclass in source development, listening and humanizing business and financial reporting.”
Chachoute, who is majoring in journalism and finance at Penn State, said this project allowed her to gain experience in both of her academic pursuits by giving her an opportunity to report early in her college career.
“I wanted experience that went beyond the classroom and to report on issues of the day,” Chachoute said. “In talking with Maggie, I learned about the chance to report for WPSU and interview a variety of demographics and voices in the business community that would give us the opportunity to make an impact by localizing a national issue.”
Chachoute said this experience also expanded her view of what she could pursue as a journalist.
“It was a step outside of the fast pace of a newsroom and broadcasting local news to take a deep dive into a story and build a relationship with them over time. It also surprised me to learn how much issues in rural areas are underreported,” Chachoute said. “As a sophomore I felt blessed to have this opportunity to write for an NPR station. This experience taught me how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable until you are comfortable. It is the best way to grow!”
Reddy, news director for WPSU-FM, said the students’ stories reflected the hard work they put into building trust with interview subjects.
“The rapport the News Lab students established with interviewees shines through in the texture and nuance of the stories. They got people to share deeply about their personal finances, which can be a touchy subject,” she said.
Reddy said she worked closely with the students to make their stories broadcast ready.
“Students often submit an assignment, get a grade and move on. But that’s not how the real world of journalism works,” Reddy said. “Working with WPSU, they got to experience going through rounds of edits and fact checking until their stories met professional standards. Young reporters can learn a lot from that editing process.”
Read and listen to all 14 stories about “Navigating Inflation” on the WPSU website.
WPSU received two additional awards from the PAB on April 26 including the Outstanding Radio Feature Story/Report/Series Award for “Central and Northern PA school districts and companies struggle to find bus drivers” by WPSU Reporter Sydney Roach and the Outstanding Radio Station Marketing & Promos Award for “Promotional campaign for WPSU’s vehicle donation program.”
According to the PAB, 99 awards were presented to 48 different stations and broadcast groups at the annual luncheon. WVIA, KDKA, KYW, WPSU and WQSU lead among total award winners. A complete list of 2024 award winners can be found here.
The News Lab, housed in the Department of Journalism, employs students to address coverage gaps across Pennsylvania with a focus on rural community and in depth or investigative journalism. The News Lab’s work on “Navigating Inflation” was supported by the Arthur P. Miller Newsroom Fund and a Vision 2020 grant.
WPSU-FM is accessible to more than 450,000 listeners in 13 counties, and WPSU-TV, a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station, serves 24 counties in central Pennsylvania and reaches 515,000 households. The public media station also includes WPSU Digital Studios, which offers original web series that explore science, arts, and culture.
WPSU is a service of Penn State Outreach.