WESA, The Allegheny Front win Golden Quill, Regional Murrow, Vann awards for 2025
By 90.5 WESA
May 30, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, parent organization of 90.5 WESA, is proud to announce that the WESA newsroom, its journalists and The Allegheny Front have been honored in 2025 with significant awards in state and regional competitions for journalism excellence.
Among them are 16 Golden Quill Awards, announced and presented May 28, and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, announced May 27.
The Golden Quill Awards include a “Best of Show” honor for former WESA reporter Oliver Morrison for his coverage of the ongoing impact on residents of East Palestine, Ohio, one year after a chemical-laden train derailed in that community in 2023.
“These awards recognize the essential, fact-based work and the broad scope of the coverage delivered by our journalists every day to inform our listeners and readers,” said Cindi Lash, vice president of news for PCBC/WESA.
“This recognition from our peers is particularly meaningful at a time when credible, trustworthy journalism has never been more critical for the communities we serve,” she said.
“Once again, I am extremely proud of and grateful to our journalists for their unstinting work and dedication to reporting and sharing original, independent news and essential information with the people of Western Pennsylvania.”
Golden Quill Awards
On May 28, journalists from WESA and The Allegheny Front won 16 Golden Quill Awards, presented by The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania during its 2025 awards dinner at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh.
The annual competition honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism produced in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.
Former WESA reporter Oliver Morrison won the Ed King Memorial Award for best-in-show in audio journalism for his feature series, “East Palestine divided.” In this broadcast/digital package — also featured on NPR — Morrison examined how East Palestine residents navigated division over how to deal with the fallout, one year after a chemical-laden train derailed and burned in their northeastern Ohio town
Other WESA and Allegheny Front winners for Excellence in Audio Journalism categories are:
In addition, WESA journalists shared two winning awards in the category for Excellence in Written Journalism – Division 1, for coverage produced in collaboration with Pittsburgh nonprofit newsroom PublicSource:
The Allegheny Front winners for Excellence in Audio Journalism are:
WESA journalists received a total of 29 nominations, and The Allegheny Front received nine total nominations for Golden Quill Awards.
RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards
On May 27, the Radio Television Digital News Association honored the WESA and The Allegheny Front newsrooms and journalists with 2025 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for journalism excellence.
The Regional Murrow Awards — among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news — honor newsrooms rather than individual journalists. These awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the public.
WESA is honored in the “Continuing Coverage” category for "Identifying an Assassin," an extensive package of audio and digital coverage of the July 13 assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler County and the investigation that followed.
The Allegheny Front is recognized in the "News Series" category for its coverage of the one-year anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment in 2023.
Work produced by the WESA and The Allegheny Front newsrooms is judged in the large-market category within a region comprising Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Both newsrooms compete against far-larger stations in New York City, Philadelphia and elsewhere in those states.
Regional Murrow Award winners will advance this summer to the national round of the competition, for which winners will be announced in August.
Robert L. Vann Media Awards
Morning Edition Editor/Producer Susan Scott Peterson won a first-place award in the "Excellence in Audio Journalism" category of the Robert L. Vann Media Awards, presented June 4 by the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation at its "Night of Excellence" dinner at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown.
Peterson won the award for "News Feature/Profile" for her multimedia story, "New Augmented reality app overlays Pittsburgh’s Black History on present-day East Liberty." Six stories produced by four other WESA journalists also were finalists for Vann Awards, which are now in their 36th year and highlight the best in print, broadcast, photography and online journalism coverage of the African American and African diaspora communities of Western Pennsylvania.
Journalists from news organizations in Western Pennsylvania, Western and Central Ohio, and parts of West Virginia, community organizations and community pioneers were honored with Vann Awards for their outstanding contributions to the Black community in coverage produced during 2024.
Members of the PBMF also honored two organizations with the inaugural Elaine Effort Community Champion Award, created as a tribute to the legacy of the pioneering journalist and PBMF founding member, who died in Novmber 2024. During her decades-long career in Pittsburgh, Effort worked for 38 years as a reporter for KQV-AM 1410 and later worked for WESA in 2018-19. She was also known as a mentor to dozens of young journalists and a longtime Girl Scouts leader.
Recipients of Elaine Effort Awards were Girl Scout Troop #52208 of Wilkinsburg, founded to provide a safe space for girls in that community; and the Omega Dr. Carter G. Woodson Academy, which provides education aimed at building Black people's capacity for self-determination, strengthening their awareness of Black history and providing strategies for collective betterment.
Among them are 16 Golden Quill Awards, announced and presented May 28, and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, announced May 27.
The Golden Quill Awards include a “Best of Show” honor for former WESA reporter Oliver Morrison for his coverage of the ongoing impact on residents of East Palestine, Ohio, one year after a chemical-laden train derailed in that community in 2023.
“These awards recognize the essential, fact-based work and the broad scope of the coverage delivered by our journalists every day to inform our listeners and readers,” said Cindi Lash, vice president of news for PCBC/WESA.
“This recognition from our peers is particularly meaningful at a time when credible, trustworthy journalism has never been more critical for the communities we serve,” she said.
“Once again, I am extremely proud of and grateful to our journalists for their unstinting work and dedication to reporting and sharing original, independent news and essential information with the people of Western Pennsylvania.”
Golden Quill Awards
On May 28, journalists from WESA and The Allegheny Front won 16 Golden Quill Awards, presented by The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania during its 2025 awards dinner at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh.
The annual competition honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism produced in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.
Former WESA reporter Oliver Morrison won the Ed King Memorial Award for best-in-show in audio journalism for his feature series, “East Palestine divided.” In this broadcast/digital package — also featured on NPR — Morrison examined how East Palestine residents navigated division over how to deal with the fallout, one year after a chemical-laden train derailed and burned in their northeastern Ohio town
Other WESA and Allegheny Front winners for Excellence in Audio Journalism categories are:
- Spot/Breaking News: “Trump rally assassination attempt,” Oliver Morrison, Chris Potter and Susan Scott Peterson
- News Feature: “Reporter’s Notebook: Covering the attempted assassination of Donald Trump,” Oliver Morrison and Susan Scott Peterson
- Traditional Feature: “What it’s like to snowplow Pittsburgh’s narrow, steep streets on a slippy morning,” Kiley Koscinski
- Public Affairs/Politics/Government: “Pittsburgh is considering closing more than a dozen schools. Can they become affordable housing?” Kate Giammarise and Jillian Forstadt
- Education: “PPS: The path forward” collaborative series, Jillian Forstadt of WESA and Lajja Mistry of PublicSource
- Business/Techology/Consumer: “Future of Trucking” series, Julia Fraser
- Science/Environment: “East Palestine divided” series, Oliver Morrison
- History/Culture: “Why does Western Pa. have unusual pronunciations for North Versailles and Mt. Lebanon?” Katie Blackley
- Arts/Entertainment: “Controversy highlights who gets a voice on Pittsburgh’s public art,” Bill O’Driscoll
- Sports: “Pittsburgh rapper Fedd the God makes his demolition derby debut,” Bill O’Driscoll
- Enterprise/Investigative: “Haitians in Charleroi,” Oliver Morrison
In addition, WESA journalists shared two winning awards in the category for Excellence in Written Journalism – Division 1, for coverage produced in collaboration with Pittsburgh nonprofit newsroom PublicSource:
- Public Affairs/Politics/Government: “Push to cut 10s of thousands from Allegheny County voter rolls feeds fears,” Julia Zenkevich of WESA and Charlie Wolfson of PublicSource.
- Education: “PPS: The path forward” collaborative series, Jillian Forstadt of WESA and Lajja Mistry of PublicSource
The Allegheny Front winners for Excellence in Audio Journalism are:
- Excellence in Audio Journalism, Profile: “Pittsburgh environmental activist’s ‘Sustainability Salons’ foster community,” Lauren Myers
- Excellence in Audio Journalism, Medical/Health: “Ohio derailment reveals gaps in public health response to chemical emergencies,” Julie Grant
WESA journalists received a total of 29 nominations, and The Allegheny Front received nine total nominations for Golden Quill Awards.
RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards
On May 27, the Radio Television Digital News Association honored the WESA and The Allegheny Front newsrooms and journalists with 2025 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for journalism excellence.
The Regional Murrow Awards — among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news — honor newsrooms rather than individual journalists. These awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the public.
WESA is honored in the “Continuing Coverage” category for "Identifying an Assassin," an extensive package of audio and digital coverage of the July 13 assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler County and the investigation that followed.
The Allegheny Front is recognized in the "News Series" category for its coverage of the one-year anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment in 2023.
Work produced by the WESA and The Allegheny Front newsrooms is judged in the large-market category within a region comprising Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Both newsrooms compete against far-larger stations in New York City, Philadelphia and elsewhere in those states.
Regional Murrow Award winners will advance this summer to the national round of the competition, for which winners will be announced in August.
Robert L. Vann Media Awards
Morning Edition Editor/Producer Susan Scott Peterson won a first-place award in the "Excellence in Audio Journalism" category of the Robert L. Vann Media Awards, presented June 4 by the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation at its "Night of Excellence" dinner at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown.
Peterson won the award for "News Feature/Profile" for her multimedia story, "New Augmented reality app overlays Pittsburgh’s Black History on present-day East Liberty." Six stories produced by four other WESA journalists also were finalists for Vann Awards, which are now in their 36th year and highlight the best in print, broadcast, photography and online journalism coverage of the African American and African diaspora communities of Western Pennsylvania.
Journalists from news organizations in Western Pennsylvania, Western and Central Ohio, and parts of West Virginia, community organizations and community pioneers were honored with Vann Awards for their outstanding contributions to the Black community in coverage produced during 2024.
Members of the PBMF also honored two organizations with the inaugural Elaine Effort Community Champion Award, created as a tribute to the legacy of the pioneering journalist and PBMF founding member, who died in Novmber 2024. During her decades-long career in Pittsburgh, Effort worked for 38 years as a reporter for KQV-AM 1410 and later worked for WESA in 2018-19. She was also known as a mentor to dozens of young journalists and a longtime Girl Scouts leader.
Recipients of Elaine Effort Awards were Girl Scout Troop #52208 of Wilkinsburg, founded to provide a safe space for girls in that community; and the Omega Dr. Carter G. Woodson Academy, which provides education aimed at building Black people's capacity for self-determination, strengthening their awareness of Black history and providing strategies for collective betterment.