TEGNA Stations KARE and KXTV Win Prestigious 2022 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards
Tysons, Va. – TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today announced that KARE (Minneapolis, Minn.) and KXTV (Sacramento, Calif.) received 2022 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards which honor excellence in broadcast, online and documentary journalism. KARE won for “KARE 11 Investigates: Cruel & Unusual,” which exposed how Minnesota jail officials ignored preventable inmate deaths. KXTV was honored for “Fire-Power-Money,” their investigative series on Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s role in the deadliest wildfire in California’s history.
“Through powerful investigative reporting, KARE and KXTV continue to hold those in power accountable and expose corruption and wrongdoing,” said Lynn Beall, EVP and COO for media operations, TEGNA. “Their work represents the power that local journalism has to be agents of change in the communities we serve. We congratulate both KARE and KXTV on this well-deserved honor.”
In KARE 11 Investigates: Cruel & Unusual, reporter A.J. Lagoe’s and Brandon Stahl’s investigative series revealed how cost cutting in Minnesota prisons’ medical and mental health care resulted in a culture of neglect and dehumanization, and an uptick in jailhouse deaths. The series led to an overhaul of the state’s jail inspection unit and passage of sweeping reform legislation. It documented poor and sometimes nonexistent health care, falsified records, botched state investigations and weak enforcement that contributed to jail deaths and a suicide rate twice the national average. The yearlong effort involved hundreds of public record requests, whistleblower interviews and a review of thousands of pages of court filings and hours of depositions.
In Fire-Power-Money, KXTV’s Brandon Rittiman sought to force accountability of California utility monopoly Pacific Gas & Electric Company for its role in the devastating 2018 Camp Fire. The station’s continuing inquiry played “an integral role” in the utility pleading guilty to 84 felony counts of manslaughter, prosecutors said. The Fire-Power-Money series led to PG&E being held accountable for sparking preventable wildfires and the investigation continues to expose how the state government enables PG&E’s criminal behavior at the expense of past and future fire victims.
About TEGNA
TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network, Twist and Quest. TEGNA offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA’s OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.
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703-873-6366
abentley@TEGNA.com
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703-873-6747
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