Tyee Wins Edward R. Murrow Award
First Canadian non-broadcaster to win prestigious North American prize.
Murrow: old-fashioned integrity
The Tyee has received a 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Award, among the most prestigious prizes in journalism.
The Murrow awards recognize excellence in electronic journalism in the United States and Canada. The Tyee won in the category of news website not affiliated with a radio or television broadcaster.
The judges cited The Tyee's "fine in-depth reporting configured in a user-friendly online way, making easy for The Tyee's online news consumers to find and use additional complementary resources. This website offers users a nice variety of content and has broad appeal."
Previous winners in the category have been the news web sites for the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News and the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C.
The Tyee is the first Canadian online publication to win a national Murrow award.
Community service a top criteria
"We were really looking for a site that was very local, with a lot of local content. One that really served the community," explained Stacey Woelfel, chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), which presides over the Murrow awards.
"We were looking for a site that was its own creation, not canned. And of course one that used as many different media as possible in an effective way," said Woelfel.
While other Murrow awards are given to web sites for radio and television broadcasters, he said, this category was created with the intent: "We should give a prize for the best web site, period."
'An incredible team'
"I'm a bit dazed and of course very proud The Tyee has gained this recognition," said editor David Beers. "We have an incredible team -- creative, dedicated, out to prove that good journalism, rather than fading, is in a time of exciting reinvention.
"Credit for our win goes to every web designer, photographer, illustrator, flash animator, videographer, podcaster, reporter, essayist, editor and advisor who have contributed to the Tyee's flow of offerings since we launched this experiment in November of 2003.
"Huge appreciation, as well, to our business team, our financial backers, and the donors -- including hundreds of readers -- who have given us the resources to do what we love.
"And, all credit, of course, to our readers, who alert us to news we should report, share our stories with others, and reward our efforts with their visits. Without the Tyee community, there's no Tyee."
NBC, CBS big winners
Other Murrow winners this year include NBC News, which earned five, including the award for Overall Excellence. CBS Evening News received the award for network newscast. 60 Minutes was honored in three categories: Hard News Feature, Feature Reporting and Investigative Reporting. In network radio, CBS News Radio won five awards, including its third consecutive award for Overall Excellence. The award for newscast went to ABC News Radio.
In all, 51 news organizations were honored with 79 awards, drawn from a pool of more than 3000 entries from several hundred news organizations.
Edward R. Murrow was an American radio and television broadcaster noted for his integrity, who gained fame for his reporting during the Second World War, and for opposing the political witch hunt McCarthy hearings in the 1950s.
The Edward R. Murrow Awards, in their 39th year, will be given out at a dinner ceremony on October 12 in Washington, D.C.
A year of recognition for Tyee
The Tyee's Murrow award follows a string of other prizes won by the independent news site in the past eight months. They include the Excellence in Journalism Award given by the Canadian Journalism Foundation; the Special Award for External Press: Advocating for the Needs and Rights of Homeless People given by the International Network of Street Newspapers; and three Best of 604 Awards voted on by the online community in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
The Tyee's political news blog The Hook was named a Webby Honoree in the category of Political Blog, sharing that distinction with entries by The Guardian, The BBC, The New Yorker, Salon.com, Time, CNN and several others.
Related Tyee stories:
- Tyee Wins Top Canadian Prize
Receives Excellence in Journalism Award, called a 'beacon' in difficult times. - Three Wins, Thanks Tyee Fans!
You voted us several Best of 604 online awards. - Help Us Fund More Tyee Fellowships
Build on the success you've made: independent reports, reader funded.
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
ME2
02-07-2009
Congratulations.
Yes, David, I've felt no need to look beyond the Tyee (and CBC Radio) for enough information to feel more than adequately informed.
A bonus for me is found in the comments and the sites the many very informed commenters here offer. In many cases they are eye-openers, often causing me to alter my opinion, a very valuable exercise.
Grumpy
02-07-2009
Very good!
The Asper press had better watch out, the Tyee is just a superior product. The Sun and the Province are the only newspapers that routinely filter their blogs, like Chinese INTERNET, for politically incorrectness and items that contradict their editorials.
Way to go!
Jeffrey J.
02-07-2009
Hats Off to the Tyee!
This is very exciting and well deserved. It really shows that quality journalism can never be replaced by spin and propaganda. There is a BIG difference, even though so many in the "mainstream" media monopoly deny the distinction. But people, regular, real readers and citizens, can tell the difference. Always have and always will.
Its also well worth watching Good Night and Good Luck, the recent film celebrating Edward Morrow's courage and journalism. A very timely film for a number of reasons.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433383/
Congratulations to David Beers and all the Tyee.
Van Isle
02-07-2009
Well done to everyone
Well done to everyone connected to the Tyee. David, you now have 2 tasks; 1) is to expand the Tyee and to become an influencial voice in BC. Think of it; when Bill Good says that he reads the Sun/Province, he'll now be saying he gets his info thru the Tyee. 2) Don't screw up a good thing. Don't let the phrase 'success is just another term for delayed failure' happen to the Tyee.
G West
02-07-2009
Well done
Congratulations.
Now just get rid of the All Comments/Best Comments thingy...please.
Tieleman
02-07-2009
Great news for The Tyee!
I am very pleased to hear of this award and even more so as a regular writer for The Tyee!
Congratulations especially to editor David Beers and all the hard-working Tyee staff and contributors!
Bill Tieleman
Skywalker
02-07-2009
Much deserved, Tyee
Congratulations all of you.
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
02-07-2009
My hero!
Re: "And, all credit, of course, to our readers, who alert us to news we should report, share our stories with others, and reward our efforts with their visits. Without the Tyee community, there's no Tyee."
Surely unintentional, but you make your readers sound a bit like girly flounces here. We shrill; you respnd to our call. You report; we share your stories with our friends. You sweat, make, effort; we drop by for visits. You flatter; we make you gift baskets--You'd almost think there wasn't a very lively and intelligent discussion following nearly every post.
SharingIsGood
02-07-2009
congrats again
Congrats again, David and company,
Now while everyone is feeling all warm and fuzzy, let's get our railroad, our rivers and our democracy back in BC. Perhaps CanWest folks want to sell one of their papers to you for a dollar. Perhaps they would be afraid that you take over. I believe that the Tyee can produce a viable daily if there is shared ownership of the plant and equipment. Certainly, the Tyee can develop an employee owned newspaper that advertises its online links and vice-versa. Even the hard-core neo-liberal capitalists will pay for advertising: "A good capitalist will always sell you the rope that you will use to hang him". Employee owned means of production is good because we all know that sharing is good.
Bobb999
02-07-2009
Wow
Quite impressive recognition. Congrats to all at The Tyee! You deserve to feel proud about this award. Cheers!
biscotti
02-07-2009
Hard work pays off
Congratulations. I hardly look at rabble.ca any more; Tyee is my home page ;-)
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
02-07-2009
More helpful feedback
Re: "And, all credit, of course, to our readers, who alert us to news we should report, share our stories with others, and reward our efforts with their visits. Without the Tyee community, there's no Tyee."
A fair response could be this, for instance:
"And we in return would geniunely like to thank the reporters of the Tyee for time-and-time-again bringing back such interesting stories for us to sort through, analyze, and interpret. Without all their exhaustive, persistent, intrepid work and focussed pursuit, our legs would surely be getting most of the workout, not our minds."
See, "it sounds like a compliment, but really it's (something of) an insult" (Harry Met Sally). Would make reporters akin to response-ready gophers who spend so much time chasing down stories, they cannot be expected to do--or offer--much else, and us citizens, freed-up all the bothersome, menial stuff, akin to repose minded, analytically grounded, discerning gentlemen, who process all the pro-offered information for higher order purposes.
dave49
02-07-2009
Living up to its namesake
Congratulations to all Tyee staff, contributors and supporters. Sounds like The Tyee is living up to its namesake [http://www.tidesandtales.com/fish_types.php].
"The powerful king salmon hits like a boxer, runs like a freight train, and can snap your line with a powerful head shake."
OilbertaRedTory
02-07-2009
Well Done !
couldn't say it better than this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8aQJAJ2VS8
lynn
02-07-2009
flying fish!
Well-deserved..... and congratulations to all at The Tyee.
That youtube tribute is a gem, OilbertaRedTory.
VivianLea Doubt
02-07-2009
Congratulations, Tyee
OilbertaRedTory: you've done very well! Thanks, Friend.
Patrick: jeez man, you make me think so hard my head hurts...perhaps that's just an indication of my "girly flounces"? Of course, I'd prefer to think of myself as one of those " analytically grounded, discerning gentlemen, who process all the pro-offered information for higher order purposes" ... Gadzooks!
Important points you raise, never the less...as does ME2 and G West...and yeah, we like that nice warm fuzzy word community...but we're more than that, I think. But perhaps we will have a conversation about that sometime, y'all.
:)
verso
02-07-2009
WOW
Conrats to David Beers and The Tyee. Well deserved, imo.
wayfarer
02-07-2009
Echoing the accolades
The Tyee is on the cutting edge of progressive journalism British Columbia's post-newsprint era. I really think that the Tyee is a pioneer in this medium, and future online journalism upstarts will look to this site as a role model.
Bravo!
Mark Leiren-Young
02-07-2009
Murrowed Browse
Wow. Mazel Tov everyone.
Cynic
03-07-2009
Bravo, Tyee, great website.
Bravo, Tyee, great website. Please keep it up!
RossK
03-07-2009
Previous Winners In The Category....
....have been the news web sites for the Washington Post.....
Heckfire!
Does that mean that Mr. Beers has put in a call to Dan Froomkin?
____
(snark off....) Congratulations and very well deserved.
.
For a better world
03-07-2009
A very worthy award
Tyee provides a genuine voice on many issues of the day ....... besides BC politics. It is also a pleasure to read the intelligent words of wisedom from many regular commenters.
Des
03-07-2009
Congratulations
is a word that seems almost superfluous under the circumstances. From the time of my first visit to the "pages" of the TYEE a few years ago I knew I had something real, something of value, something I could trust waiting for me just inside my laptop.
I have never been disappointed.
(Although I must agree with Garth about the BestComments/AllComments thingy.)
werdnagreb
04-07-2009
Yay!
Well deserved! You've all worked hard and produced something great.
jrb
05-07-2009
congratulations!
let's make a deal.
you promise not to let this go to your heads.
i'll promise to consider making a donation.
Heather McCall
06-07-2009
Congratulations!
Just got back after a long-weekend holiday and read the good news. Congratulations Tyee!
Heather McCall
Program Manager
Canadian Journalism Foundation