WNYC Wins Two duPont-Columbia Awards for News Podcasts "Trump, Inc." and "Caught"

WNYC Wins Two duPont-Columbia Awards for News Podcasts
Trump, Inc. and Caught

(New York, NY – December 11, 2018) – WNYC has been honored today with two duPont-Columbia Awards for its acclaimed podcasts Trump, Inc., produced in partnership with ProPublica, and Caught, a searing examination of the juvenile justice system. 

Co-hosted by WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz, Trump, Inc. is an investigative podcast that examines the business dealings of President Donald Trump and individuals within his orbit. Episodes include an eight-month investigation into the Trump Organization’s business interests in a Panama real estate development, new revelations about Trump’s inaugural fund,  and reporting on key members of his inner circle, including former lawyer Michael Cohen, current attorney Rudy Giuliani, and mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.  

The duPont-Columbia jury noted, “Throughout the first season of this collaborative reporting podcast, a team of investigative reporters expertly tackled the business relations between the Trump administration, the Trump family, the Trump business and the rest of the world.” 

Hosted by WNYC’s Kai Wright, Caught offers a unique look into the juvenile justice system through the stories of young people forever changed by collisions with law and order – from efforts to reform, failures where the system has over-reached, and troubling practices like solitary confinement. Told through first-person documentary-style narratives, the series ensures that the young people's perspectives are front and center. Whether they were detained for being truant or arrested for assault, the kids reveal what could've been different and what might've helped them along the way.

About Caught, the jury said, “With gripping personal stories and tense intimate scenes, this nine-episode podcast revealed a web-like juvenile justice system and explored its devastating long term effects on young people.”

“It is an extraordinary honor to have these two critically important podcasts recognized by the duPont-Columbia committee,” said Laura Walker, President and CEO, New York Public Radio, which includes WNYC. Trump, Inc. and Caught both uncover unseen but powerful forces that exert extraordinary influence over our democracy, our institutions, and our lives.  I’m so proud of both the teams who investigated and brought these podcasts to life, and the subjects who bravely shared their stories with us.”

Caught and Trump, Inc. put the values and talents of WNYC and its journalists in high relief,” said Jim Schachter, Vice President of News, WNYC. “We hold systems and institutions and powerful people accountable. We provide context through narratives that are rich in character about issues of real consequence. We draw on our New York expertise, whether we’re reporting on the business dealings of the President or the dysfunction of the juvenile justice system. And collaboration is second nature to us. We partner with ProPublica to produce Trump, Inc.,  which often highlights the work of investigative reporters from the nation’s top newsrooms, and on Caught we worked with formidable colleagues at The Marshall Project and The Root.”

Select winners of the 77th annual duPont-Columbia Awards were announced today by Columbia Journalism School. The award is among the most prestigious honors in journalism and will be presented on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. 

WNYC was also the recipient of the duPont-Columbia Awards for its local enterprise reporting in 2002, 2012, and 2016.

 

Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice is supported, in part, by the Anne Levy Fund, Margaret Neubart Foundation, the John and Gwen Smart Foundation, and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

WNYC’s work on Trump Inc. is supported, in part, by the Park Foundation.

ABOUT WNYC

With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, WNYC is New York’s public radio station, broadcasting and streaming award-winning journalism, groundbreaking audio programming and essential talk radio to the city and beyond. WNYC is a leading member station of NPR and also broadcasts programs from the BBC World Service, along with a roster of WNYC-produced local programs that champion the stories and spirit of New York City and the surrounding region. From its state-of-the-art studios, WNYC is reshaping audio for a new generation of listeners, producing some of the most-loved nationally-syndicated public radio programs including Radiolab, On the Media, The Takeaway andSnap Judgment. WNYC broadcasts on 93.9 FM and AM 820 to listeners in New York and the tri-state area, and is available to audiences everywhere at WNYC.org, the WNYC app and through major digital radio services, all made possible through the generous support of our members, donors and sponsors.