WUSF Public Media took home 16 honors, including first place in eight categories, during the Society for Professional Journalism Sunshine State Awards on Saturday.
Ten members of the staff were honored during the ceremony in Fort Lauderdale for their work in 2021.
In a COVID-19 non-deadline news reporting category that featured entries from digital, print, television and radio from around the state, WUSF placed third for its Unequal Shots series on inequities in the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Unequal shots, which was produced by reporters Stephanie Colombini and Kerry Sheridan and edited by Julio Ochoa, also won first place in the radio health reporting category.
In the general coverage category, Steve Newborn received first place for his coverage on the dangers of Florida’s phosphate mines. Newborn also received a first place award in the serious reporting category for “What Mosaic Is Doing With Its ‘Gypstack’ To Prevent Another Piney Point Disaster.” Newborn won a second place award in the category of best use of sound for his story “Once Nearly Extinct, The Florida Panther Is Making A Comeback.”
Jessica Meszaros won first place for her story “Toxic Bus Tour Highlights Energy InequalityToxic Bus Tour Highlights Energy Inequality” in the environment, science and technology reporting category.
Sheridan took first place in education reporting for her story “A Florida Farmworker Talks About Why He Took His Teen Daughter To Work In Fields” and a third place in the investigative reporting category for “Finding the Lost Children of Migrant Farmworkers.” Those pieces were part of Florida Public Media’s Class of COVID-19 series, which received first place awards in the categories of continuing coverage and news website and a second place award in the public affairs category.
Colombini also placed third in the continuing coverage category for her COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout stories.
WUSF host Lisa Peakes and Assistant News Director Mark Schreiner placed first for best newscast for their entry All Things Considered Newscast, Aug. 6, 2021.
Reporter Cathy Carter received a second place award in the light feature reporting category for her story, “Preserving Coastal Habitats Can Mitigate The Impacts Of Climate Change.” And The Zest podcast host Dalia Colon and producer Andrew Lucas won third place in the podcast category.
