What's the real value of winning news awards? Here are questions you might hear from awards skeptics: Do they bring in readers or viewers? Do they cause newsrooms to report for potential judges rather than their customers? Do they give teams a false sense of superiority because they won in one category but still have plenty of room to grow?
I believe awards can have a genuinely positive impact on a newsroom's performance and its culture, if newsroom execs understand the leadership opportunities in managing both the awards process and the outcomes.
So does Shane Moreland, news director of WTKR-TV in Norfolk, Viginia. Last year at this time, he headed the newsroom at WSLS-TV in Roanoke. That station just won a
Peabody award for its coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. Peabodies are a big deal in broadcast journalism. Very competitive. So are the
RTNDA Murrow awards, and Shane's past and present station just picked up some regional Murrows and may take national honors as well.
I asked Shane to share his thoughts on managing awards - so they bring more than just bragging rights or big heads in a newsroom:
