WBZ-TV Wins Prestigious duPont Award For Boston Marathon Bombings Coverage
BOSTON (CBS) - WBZ-TV has been awarded a prestigious, national duPont-Columbia Award for the station's live coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombings and the tumultuous days that followed, it was announced Wednesday.
"WBZ-TV's coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings was television journalism at its very best – informative, level headed in a time of crisis, and visually arresting," the duPont jury wrote.
VIEW: Boston Marathon Bombings Coverage
"The station was broadcasting live coverage of the Boston Marathon when the two bombs went off, just seconds apart on April 15, 2013. From its very first report of the explosions, this coverage was fact-filled and measured. WBZ-TV dedicated considerable resources to the reporting. After the bombings, the killers were at large and people were afraid. In the face of that concern, the anchors and reporters stayed calm. They kept their viewers up-to-date on fast-moving events. Through all the dramatic events, reporters dug deep to find sources and information not being released by government officials."
"I am extremely proud of our entire team for their efforts in covering The Boston Marathon race, the horrific bombings that shook our great city, and the subsequent efforts in capturing the Marathon bombers," said WBZ-TV and myTV38 President and General Manager Mark Lund.
"It is in critical times like these, when the public turns in mass to local media, that we continually demonstrate the true value WBZ-TV news provides to the community. To have WBZ-TV recognized with a National duPont-Columbia Award is a true honor and a testament to the professionalism of our organization."
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards recognize excellence in journalism. Nationally, fourteen Silver Batons were awarded this year.
"These journalists set standards for the profession with accomplishment and insight," said Richard Wald, duPont Jury Chair. "This was a year of extraordinary and difficult breaking news stories for all journalism organizations. Their response was impressive."
The 2104 Silver Batons will be given out at a ceremony at Columbia University on January 21.
