The station received the most awards of any station in the region across a range of categories
San Francisco, CA — KQED is the recipient of ten 2026 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism, including two awards the station shared with the California Newsroom regional journalism collaboration it helps lead. The Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.
Farida Jhabvala Romero received an award in the Investigative Reporting category for her coverage of efforts to protect California stoneworkers from the harmful effects of dangerous silica dust produced by cutting engineered stone.
KQED News was a recipient in the News Series category for coverage of camping bans and enforcement across the state that target unhoused people.
The California Report Magazine won in the Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for ‘Love You for You’. The series features trans and nonbinary youth from across California in conversation with the people closest in their lives. The California Report Magazine received a second award for Excellence in Sound for their profile of Khatchadour Khatchadourian, a musician who performs on the duduk, an ancient Armenian reed instrument.
Adhiti Bandlamudi’s reporting on “speedrunning” was awarded in the Excellence in Writing category. Bandlamudi’s writing brings to life the frantic energy of a game played by a group of Bay high schoolers who attempt to visit every BART station as quickly as possible with as many people as possible.
Vanessa Rancaño was honored in the Feature Reporting category for her profile of Phelisha Saffold, a “violence interrupter” at Oakland’s Castlemont High School. Saffold and others in this Oakland Unified School District program work to observe and stamp out school violence before it happens, but are now faced with an uncertain future brought about by an enormous budget shortfall.
Mark Betancourt and The California Newsroom were awarded in the Digital category for their coverage of an Ethiopian asylum seeker tortured by her own government and then denied legal protections in the U.S. The California Newsroom is a KQED-led collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state. Anna Sussman contributed to this story. The California Newsroom and received a second honor in the Excellence in Innovation category for the collaborative’s crowd-sourcing coverage of Californians’ response to Trump’s second term.
Juan Carlos Lara was recognized in the Hard News category for his reporting on a critical, but imperiled legal services program for families separated from their loved ones at the U.S.-Mexico border.
And April Dembosky’s coverage of the San Francisco Giants’ mental wellness program was honored in the Sports Reporting category.
The regional award winners now advance to the national competition, which will be announced in August. To find a complete list of the 2026 RTDNA regional winners visit rtdna.org.
List of KQED 2026 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award Winners
Digital
This Ethiopian Woman was Tortured by Her Government. The U.S. is Sending Her Home Anyway
The California Newsroom and KQED
San Francisco, CA
Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Introducing ‘Love You for You:’ Conversations Between Trans Kids and Their Loved Ones
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Excellence in Innovation
Californians On Trump’s Second Term
KQED and The California Newsroom
San Francisco, CA
Excellence in Sound
Meet the Duduk Whisperer: A Bay Area Armenian Folk Musician Revives Centuries of Soul
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Excellence in Writing
Train Nerds Taking Over BART This Weekend for Trendy Sport: Speedrunning
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Feature Reporting
She Stops School Fights Before They Start. Oakland May Cut Her Job
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Hard News
Some Families Separated at the Border Got Free Legal Aid. The US Just Cut That Contract
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Investigative Reporting
California Doctors Urge Ban on Engineered Stone as Silicosis Cases Surge
KQED
San Francisco, CA
News Series
Cities Crack Down on Encampments
KQED
San Francisco, CA
Sports Reporting
San Francisco Giants’ Mental Wellness Team is One of the Largest in Major League Baseball
KQED
San Francisco, CA
About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. www.kqed.org