KHOU 11 wins Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award 2018

Big news for KHOU 11 today. The TEGNA station has won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.

The prestigious award recognizes excellence in broadcast, digital and documentary journalism.

The KHOU investigative department was recognized for something I told you about last year.

WATCH: The TRANSPARENCY documentary

Reporter Jeremy Rogalski and team produced “Transparency,” which was a digital-first investigation that exposed the lack of accountability and the improper use of police body cameras in the city of Houston.

"Very humbled by today’s announcement that 'Transparency,' our four-month investigation into the Houston Police body camera program, earned the Alford I. duPont-Columbia University Award, the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize," Rogalski posted on Facebook.

"I'm proud of this body of work on so many levels, in particular that it was a digital-first investigation," KHOU President & General Manager Susan McEldoon told mikemcguff.com. "It’s a perfect example of the positive impact local journalism has on its community."

According to TEGNA, the four-month investigation revealed the Houston Police Department failed to release timely footage for criminal cases and declined to conduct promised video audits. In response to the documentary, the Houston police chief immediately addressed the camera technology issues and pledged to discipline any officers who fail to activate cameras when required.

Here is the award listing:

Transparency

This innovative long-form report, based on a four month-investigation of the Houston PD’s $8 million body camera program, revealed its many weaknesses, including hundreds of cases with missing footage, major delays in releasing videos, and a general lack of accountability.

Credits:

Jeremy Rogalski, Investigative Reporter;

Keith Tomshe, Investigative Photojournalist;

Stephanie Kuzydym, Investigative Producer;

Ty Scholes, Investigative Producer;

Matt Keyser, Digital Producer;

Ellen Crooke, Vice President News.

TEGNA is the only local broadcast group to receive two silver batons for investigative reporting.

KARE 11 in Minneapolis also took home the prize.

“Like many of our TEGNA stations, KARE and KHOU have produced incredibly meaningful work that impacts the lives of many. Their projects are strong examples of the positive impact of local journalism on communities and the importance of storytelling for the public interest,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “We are committed to continuing to invest in our local stations to ensure they have the journalistic freedom to pursue investigations that make communities stronger without bias or agenda.”

Both stations will be recognized in an awards ceremony hosted by some of the country’s leading broadcast journalists on January 16, 2018, at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library.

The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award recognizes excellence in broadcast, digital and documentary journalism.

See other 2018 duPont Winners

KHOU 11 brings 'Transparency' to police body cameras in new docu-series

UPDATE DECEMBER 07, 2017
KHOU 11 wins Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award 2018

WATCH: The TRANSPARENCY documentary

KHOU 11 investigative reporter Jeremy Rogalski and team produce documentary/web series on Houston police body cameras


Last year we saw the KHOU 11 investigative team deliver a very in-depth investigation into Houston's potholes and now they are back examining Houston Police Department body cameras.

The station says its four-month investigation, called Transparency, reveals that Houston's $8 million police body-camera programming is falling short of its promises.

Reporter Jeremy Rogalski, photojournalist Keith Tomshe, digital investigative reporter Matt Keyser with researchers Stephanie Kuzydym and Ty Scholes have delivered a documentary and expansive web coverage (BodycamTransparency.com) on the subject that looks like nothing I've ever seen produced in Houston.

It proves quality content is still king no matter where it is aired or these days...posted.

Rogalski told mikemcguff.com about the making of this Houston docu-series.

Mike McGuff: When television news consultants are generally telling stations to air shorter stories, what's it like getting to produce an entire documentary and breathe more life into a story narrative?

Jeremy Rogalski: Any journalist’s dream is to hear “go for it, run with it, take the time you need and don’t come back until it’s ready.” That is what happened with the research and production of Transparency. Our Executive News Director, Sally Ramirez took our team “off the grid” for four months to pursue this project without the distractions of the daily news grind. That is refreshing and doesn’t happen very often, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

MM: I noticed no voice overs and higher production values than your average TV news content. Did you feel like you needed to escape the trappings of traditional TV news stories?

JR: Interestingly, the marching orders from our parent company, TEGNA, were “don’t make it look like traditional TV news.” While invigorating on one hand, it also was more than a tad scary for a guy who has done traditional news all his life. That being said, what we really tried to tap into was the journey of it all—the “making of the sausage” and the messiness that comes with it. We outfitted our tiny office with multiple GoPro cameras that were rolling on most every phone call and every back-and-forth session with producers and researchers. The aim was to capture the behind-the-scenes ups and downs of the process, and share them with our audience.

MM: I know TEGNA has what I call an "experimental initiative" with stations. Is it cool knowing you have the opportunity to re-write the rules with TRANSPARENCY?

JR: I wouldn’t call it “experimental journalism,” but rather reinventing local journalism in a digital age. That is cool. But it’s no gimmick either. To be clear, old-fashioned shoe-leather investigative reporting is at this project’s core.

MM: TV stations use to produce documentaries decades ago. Do you see this form of storytelling returning to local television?

JR: Perhaps the best answer is with another question—how do we define local television anymore? TEGNA’s initiative with Transparency and similar projects in other markets is a digital-first launch. You heard right—go spend four months on a project but then don’t immediately put it on television! Why? Again, what do you have in your pocket or purse right now? Not a TV of course, but your smart phone. The fact is, we can harness the extraordinary power of social media to not only reach a larger audience, but engage that audience. We hope to create a social buzz in our community that compels folks to demand more transparency in Houston’s police body camera program.

To see Transparency in its entirety, log onto BodycamTransparency.com. If you want to make your voice heard on the issue, click on the "Call to Action" section of the site.

To experience Transparency on TV, a condensed version will air during the 10pm newscast Friday, November 18th. An uninterrupted version of the entire documentary is set to air 7pm Saturday, December 17th.


via GIPHY

Gif from Transparency web report

Houston & Texas media job moves, plus Houston TV goodbye party

Lots of Houston and Texas media job moves, plus Fox 26 KRIV's Caitilin Espinosa's goodbye party


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Andrew Horansky to leave KHOU for Cleveland's WKYC

KHOU 11 reporter Andrew Horansky heading home to WKYC Cleveland as multimedia journalist and reporter

Andrew Horansky

After nearly three years, KHOU 11 reporter Andrew Horansky is leaving Houston for Cleveland's NBC affiliate WKYC blogged TVSpy today.

"I’m THRILLED to be coming home," Horansky told Director's Cut. "My wife will be practicing pediatrics and we’ll be able to raise our 7-month old daughter, Juliet, closer to family now. We have relatives and friends all over the city, including parents and grandparents."

The reports say that Horanksy will be both a multimedia journalist (MMJ) and reporter at the KHOU sister station.

Horansky arrived to KHOU after working at sister station KVUE in Austin. He also worked as a freelance reporter at the NBC Newschannel in Chicago, HD News - Voom Network Television, New England Cable News and WWTV/WWUP, Cadillac, MI.

Don't worry, we are getting another reporter in return from Cleveland. Houston Chronicle sports editor Nick Mathews tweeted the paper is hiring Cleveland.com's Stephanie Kuzydym as a GA/enterprise writer for the sports section. It's a little unplanned journalistic swap action.