幺力视频

University Television Center earns Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best news documentary

University Television Center earns Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best news documentary

Contact: Allison Matthews

Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards logo

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳he University Television Center at 幺力视频 is among broadcast winners of the prestigious 2021 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and also has received 12 nominations for the 2021 Southeast Emmy Awards.

Presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Regional Murrow Awards recognize 鈥渆xtraordinary journalism that brought clarity and context to 2020鈥檚 biggest news stories,鈥 said RTDNA Chair Andrea Stahlman. 鈥淭he winning work demonstrates dedication, determination and a commitment to the highest ethical standards enshrined in RTDNA鈥檚 Code of Ethics,鈥 she said. The group is the world鈥檚 largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism, and the awards demonstrate the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.

MSU鈥檚 University Television Center is a Region 9 winner of a Best News Documentary award in the small market television category for 鈥淭he Last Supermarket.鈥 The documentary filmed in Clarksdale in 2019 and 2020 examines the impact to the Mississippi Delta community when its only full-service supermarket closed, leaving residents in a food desert with fewer options for nutritious food.

鈥淒avid Garraway and the University Television Center staff are an increasingly important part of 幺力视频鈥檚 storytelling apparatus,鈥 said聽Sid Salter, MSU鈥檚 Chief Communications Officer. 鈥淭he Television Center has evolved from simply producing video content for clients to producing unique films that enable聽MSU to share our research and service missions with the world. This professional recognition is richly deserved and I鈥檓 very proud of the work they do for our university.鈥

A man points a television camera toward a man sitting in front of a sign that says Delta Blues
MSU Senior Producer James Parker of the University Television Center spent several days in Clarksdale in 2019 and 2020 filming 鈥淭he Last Supermarket鈥 and interviewing officials and residents, such as Orrden Williams, to understand more about the human effects of a food desert, and how the community is banding together to mitigate these effects. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)

The half-hour documentary serves as the pilot episode of 鈥淭he Hungriest State,鈥 a multi-part series scheduled to debut this fall that investigates food insecurity in Mississippi. It is the first large project to result from MSU Films, the TV Center鈥檚 high-end short film production initiative, which is a partnership with 幺力视频鈥檚 Office of Public Affairs.

Garraway, UTC director and the documentary鈥檚 executive producer, said the film has been in limited release on MSTV, but he hopes to have a larger and general release soon.聽

鈥淢SU Films focuses on in-depth, rich storytelling, while providing a testbed for TV Center producers to develop new skills that enhance the department鈥檚 production capabilities,鈥 Garraway said. 鈥淪enior Producer James Parker鈥檚 creativity and skill in creating, 鈥楾he Last Supermarket鈥 has set a new standard for university productions, and I鈥檓 proud to see his work recognized by his peers. This is the first Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for the center, but I don鈥檛 think it will be the last.鈥 聽

RTDNA鈥檚 Region 9 includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Overall, the regional awards program recognized over 350 local radio and television stations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four countries. Regional winners automatically are under consideration for a National Murrow Award.

Winners for the 2021 Southeast Emmy Awards will be announced in June.

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