RTDNA announces new Murrow winners in Large TV Feature Reporting, News Documentary
The Radio Television Digital News Association has awarded new winners for the 2026 Region 2 Edward R. Murrow Award Large Market TV Feature Reporting and News Documentary categories. A review by RTDNA’s Awards Committee determined the winning pieces originally selected for those categories were ineligible due to rules compliance issues.
ABC10 of Sacramento, CA, has been named the Region 2 Large Market TV winner for Feature Reporting for its piece "When Tourism Threatens Sacred Land." KABC-TV's entry, "The Changing Face of Cancer," was the previously announced winner in this category. The piece was determined to be ineligible under the Feature Reporting category's single-report requirement.
ABC7 of San Francisco, CA, is the new recipient of the Region 2 Large Market TV award for News Documentary for its piece "A Mother's Hope." This award was previously presented to ABC10 for its entry, "Freeing the Klamath,” which was ruled ineligible as a version of the piece first aired in 2024.
“We recognize this change is difficult for the newsrooms involved, particularly because these entries were excellent and submitted in good faith,” RTDNA President and CEO Tara Puckey said. “Once the eligibility questions came to our attention, we had an obligation to review them carefully and apply the Murrow Awards rules consistently to protect the integrity of the competition.”
Upon becoming aware of eligibility concerns for these pieces, RTDNA staff reached out to both entrants and consulted with members of the RTDNA Awards Committee and RTDNA executive leadership. After careful review and deliberation, RTDNA determined the entries did not meet the eligibility requirements for their respective categories, rescinded the awards and asked the judges to select new winners.
Both newsrooms were informed of the final decision in late June.
Throughout the process, the fairness and integrity of the Edward R. Murrow Awards were the most important considerations.
For questions, please contact RTDNA President and CEO Tara Puckey at tara@rtdna.org.