WHYY News wins 18 Keystone Media Awards for accountability reporting, digital coverage

WHYY News has received 18 Professional Keystone Media Awards for its work in 2023, with coverage areas ranging from Philadelphia’s historic mayoral election to health care inequity and environmental justice.

The Keystone Awards recognize “journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities.” The awards honor small to large media organizations throughout Pennsylvania.

“Today, we celebrate not just the recognition that comes with these 18 Keystone Awards, but the dedication and passion of our reporters who have earned these awards,” said WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo. “Their relentless pursuit of truth and commitment to excellence and our community make us incredibly proud.”

“WHYY News’ public service journalism is once again recognized by the Keystone Awards and deservedly so,” said Sarah Glover, WHYY vice president of news and civic dialogue. “The news staff is dedicated to serving the news and information needs of our audiences across Greater Philadelphia. It is fitting that our journalism is being celebrated by our journalism peers.”

WHYY News placed in more than a dozen categories in its division.

Below are the winners from WHYY. A full list of award recipients in the Radio 1 category can be found online.

First-place

• Best Spot News Coverage: A woman recounts driving through flames seconds before I-95 collapse | Jennifer Lynn
• Best Investigative Reporting: Civil rights on hold? Chester’s bankruptcy freezes all litigation against the city | Kenny Cooper
• Best Enterprise Reporting: If you call an ambulance in Chester County, you’ll have a longer ride and a longer wait at a crowded hospital | Kenny Cooper
• Best Documentary: Philly protest organizers are still calling for justice 3 years after George Floyd’s murder | Kimberly Paynter
• Best Reporter/Anchor: Kenny Cooper, for FM reporting and podcasting
• Best Digital Presence: WHYY News digital | Maria Pulcinella, Evan Croen, Nick Kariuki, Emily Neil, Emma Lee, Kim Paynter and Eric Nixon
• Best Sports Coverage: Fans celebrate in the streets as the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl-bound | Cory Sharber
• Best Sports Feature: South Philly Chiefs bar opts out of Super Bowl Sunday | Cory Sharber
• Best Podcast (Broadcast): Young, Unhoused and Unseen | Yvonne Latty, Kenny Cooper, Sarah Glover, Jamila Bey and Jordan Gass-Poore

Second-place

• Best Newscast: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s historic win | Jennifer Lynn
• Best Feature: An ancestral land returns to a Lenape family, who is building a center there to preserve nature, heritage and culture | P. Kenneth Burns
• Best Reporter/Anchor: Jennifer Lynn, “Morning Edition” host and anchor
• Best Sports Coverage: Phillies come shy of second-straight World Series appearance, fall to Diamondbacks in Game 7 of NLCS | Cory Sharber
• Best Series: Young, Unhoused and Unseen | Yvonne Latty, Kenny Cooper, Sarah Glover, Jamila Bey and Jordan Gass-Poore
• Best Use of Sound: Legendary David Dye on legacy of legendary Jerry Blavat | Jennifer Lynn

Honorable mention

• Best Enterprise Reporting: There’s no closure: Millsboro residents say water is still contaminated 2 years after Mountaire settlement | Zoë Read
• Best Feature: Life after a shock: Why heart patients need access to mental health care  | Alan Yu
• Best Sports Feature: Primer on pro football lingo with Philadelphia sports analyst Tyrone Johnson | Jennifer Lynn