KVIA, Borderland Crimes Podcast wins 2024 National Edward R. Murrow Award
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- KVIA ABC-7's Borderland Crimes Podcast was one of the dozens announced as a winner of the 2024 National Edward R. Murrow Awards.
The winning episode was produced by KVIA evening anchor Stephanie Valle and chronicled the Nov. 2023 execution of David Renteria. Renteria had been convicted in 2003 of the kidnapping and murder of Alexandra Flores, 5, from a Lower Valley Walmart two years prior.
Valle served as a media witness to the execution, and spoke to Flores' family about the case and the execution as part of her reporting for the podcast episode.
As a Regional Murrow winner, the episode automatically became a nominee for the National Murrow Award for Best Podcast in a Small TV Market. There were seven other regional winners up for contention.
"I am incredibly honored by the judges' decision," Valle said. "The Edward R. Murrow Awards are the gold standard in broadcast news and underscore the significance of journalism as a community service. The story that was recognized was an incredibly difficult one to tell: state-sanctioned executions are highly controversial and polarizing; the families of victims who are waiting for the finality are constantly experiencing their grief. Bearing witness to all of this as a journalist in my community was a role I do not take lightly. Thank you to the Radio Television Digital News Association for acknowledging all the work that goes into this kind of storytelling."
A full list of all the winners of the 2024 National Murrow Awards can be accessed here.
