PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The Radio Television Digital News Association awarded Local 10 News investigative reporter Christina Vazquez an Edward R. Murrow Award for her reporting on the "Dangerous Journey."
Vazquez was a regional winner for "Reporting Hard News" in the large market television category. The awards recognize the best electronic journalism produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world.
In Honduras, Vazquez produced "incredible work" in a series of reports showing the desperate measures some children were taking to reach the United States, Local 10 News Vice President/News Director Bill Pohovey said.
"I wanted people to understand the enormous social, economic and security issues that families face in Honduras, and how they influence the heartbreaking decision of sending their children on that dangerous journey," Vazquez said.
The Edward R. Murrow Award is the most prestigious honor given to a television journalist, Pohovey said. Vazquez's work was both on air and on the web. Her two stories aired on Local 10 News and were part of a multimedia package on Local10.com that were both launched in August.
"When newsrooms do outstanding work to inform their audience and serve their community, it should be celebrated," said RTDNA Chair Amy Tardif. "Being recognized with one of journalism's most prestigious awards is one way to showcase their commitment to excellence."
ABOUT THE REPORTING
LOCAL10.COM COVERAGE: "Voices from Honduras"
This year, RTDNA awarded 673 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in 14 categories. RTDNA received more than 4,200 entries, including Local 10 News submission, during the 2015 awards season, setting an all-time record for the third year in a row.
"At a time when news reaches people in so many ways, these awards become even more meaningful," added RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender. "It is a tangible reminder of the high quality local journalism being done across the country."
As the mother of a three-year-old, Vazquez said she often reflects on the differences between children who grow up in the safety of South Florida and the many risks that children in Honduras face on a daily basis.
"There is not a week that goes by that I don't think of the children that I met while I was reporting on this story," Vazquez said. A source in Honduras told her Thursday that a Honduran boy that she interviewed for the story was in Guatemala on his way to the U.S.
Vazquez advances to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, which will be judged in May. National awards, including those for network news organizations, will be presented at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City in October.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Contact Local 10 News Investigative Reporter Christina Vazquez on Twitter