Plohetski, the Statesman and KVUE named duPont-Columbia award finalists
Austin journalist Tony Plohetski, the Austin American-Statesman and local ABC affiliate KVUE-TV, were named finalists Thursday for the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for their joint reporting in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting.
It is the first time in both news organizations' histories to be named a finalist for the more than 80-year-old awards, which honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service.
The citation noted that a "a local reporter was the first to obtain video from inside Uvalde's Robb Elementary School of the haunting 77-minute delay by law enforcement during a mass shooting, which helped collapse a false narrative and brought transparency to police failures."
"We are humbled to be recognized as a finalist for one of the highest honors in journalism as a duPont-Columbia finalist," said Statesman Executive Editor Manny García. "Our relentless coverage in Uvalde has always been focused on exposing a false narrative of police heroics. We dedicate our work to the families of the 19 children and their two teachers who died on May 24, 2022."
García added that "our work speaks to the strength of collaborative journalism from colleagues across the USA Today Network and our partnership with KVUE."
The news outlets published and aired the video in July which showed local and state law enforcement officials pacing the hallway, looking at floor plans and talking on the phone — but not immediately intervening as police are trained during an active shooter.
Other finalists include ABC News, NPR, CBS's 60 Minutes and PBS's Frontline and several local news outlets across the nation. Winners of the award will be announced in January.
The honor is the latest the work has received. In May, the Statesman was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for public service reporting and in August, honored with a national Edward R. Murrow Award for its Uvalde coverage.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tony Plohetski, Statesman, KVUE finalists for duPont-Columbia award
