INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Broadcasters Association honored WTHR Monday night with several Spectrum Awards for the station’s news coverage.
The organization recognized WTHR’s Decision 2022 reporting on the November general election with top honors in the category for 2022 Election Coverage in the Indianapolis market.
Reporter Emily Longnecker and photojournalist Josh Blankenship received the award for best investigative reporting. They shared the story of a mother who claims negligence at a local corrections facility contributed to her daughter’s death.
Spectrum Awards also awarded Longnecker the top prize for feature reporting. She and photojournalist Steve Rhodes told the remarkable story of Milton Keys – a local musician and teacher whose life is the focus of a new documentary.
“I’ve been discounted. I’ve been underrated, underestimated and when you get in that place, it’s hard to find your way,” Keyes told Longnecker. Now, his new musical composition called “Masterpiece” is the title track for the film with the same name. Keyes is challenging how people see others with physical disabilities.
Anchor/reporter Jennie Runevitch and photojournalist Bill Reilly received the award for best general news reporting for a story they covered after the tornadoes in Johnson County earlier this year. They spoke with a man whose house was damaged by the tornado in Whiteland. Then, a few weeks later, another tornado hit the Greenwood apartment complex serving as his temporary home.
The Indiana Broadcasters Association presented the awards during a ceremony at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Monday evening.
