A woman stands in a stream in front of a culvert going under a home. She is wearing a winter coat and hat with a respirator.
Christina Siceloff, in Sulphur Run, as the still-contaminated stream dips into a culvert beneath a row of houses, East Palestine, Ohio. Photo: Renee Rosensteel for The Allegheny Front

The Allegheny Front wins Edward R. Murrow Award, Golden Quills

The Allegheny Front·
East PalestineLatest StoriesOne Year Later

The Allegheny Front has been recognized for excellence in journalism with several regional awards this week.

Our series from January 2024 commemorating the one-year anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment was recognized with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for News Series.

This prestigious award honors outstanding achievements in national and local broadcast and digital journalism that upholds the RTDNA’s Code of Ethics, demonstrates technical expertise and exemplifies the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.
“East Palestine: One Year Later,” a five-part series funded in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, examined how state and federal health officials responded to the chemical disaster, how residents living near a stream still polluted with chemicals from the derailment were being exposed, how an activist continued to push for answers and what it was like for one family the night the train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and changed their lives forever.
The Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant, Reid Frazier, Kara Holsopple and Kathy Knauer, along with photographer Renee Rosensteel, contributed to the series.

Golden Quills

The staff of The Allegheny Front picked up two Golden Quill awards Wednesday night for Excellence in Audio Journalism at the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania’s 61st Golden Quill Awards at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

The competition honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.

Medical/Health

A storefront with a handmade yellow sign that reads "Palestine lives matter" with a train crossing signal across the street.
Public health researchers say officials should have done blood and urine testing in the early days after the train derailment in East Palestine, pictured here on December 23, 2024, to document chemical exposures. Photo: Renee Rosensteel for The Allegheny Front
A story examining the public health response to the chemical disaster in the “East Palestine: One Year Later” series was awarded a Golden Quill for Excellence in Audio Journalism in the Medical/Health category.
In the story, “Ohio derailment reveals gaps in public health response to chemical emergencies,” Julie Grant spoke with public health researchers, emergency response experts, officials and residents, and examined numerous government documents and recordings to provide a timeline for what public health experts did in the aftermath of the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in February 2023, what they told residents exposed to toxic chemicals and what experts say they should have done to protect the long-term health of the community.
Judges said this “incisive, important reporting documents an important safety lapse.”

Profile

A woman stands with long braids stands holding a dog, with greenery in the background.
Maren Cooke, holding her dog Peaches, started the Sustainability Salons in 2012 to bring people together to learn and discuss local environmental issues. Photo: Kathy Knauer / The Allegheny Front

Maren Cooke, a planetary scientist by training, is now a volunteer, educator and activist. Since 2011, she has been hosting Sustainability Salons at her home, describing them as “giant potluck mini-conferences,” covering environmental topics ranging from climate change and energy to air quality and local food.

Last July, Cooke hosted her 150th salon. The Allegheny Front’s intern Lauren Myers attended the salon and produced “Pittsburgh environmental activist’s ‘Sustainability Salons’ foster community,” which won a Golden Quill for Best Audio Profile. (Her written profile is really great, too!)

The judges said, “This entry stood out for the number of different voices it featured – instead of just zooming in on the main character, it used a variety of people to talk about the impact her work has on them and their community.” 

Finalists

Several stories were finalists in a variety of categories for Excellence in Audio Journalism:

Business/Technology/Consumer:

“Is climate change to blame for the high cost of potato chips? We crunched the numbers,” Julie Grant

“Should the federal government support a massive recycling plant in Erie that will make plastics for steelmaking?” Julie Grant

Enterprise/Investigative:

“In Sweden, companies are cleaning up steel production – one of the world’s biggest carbon problems,“ Reid Frazier

News Feature:

“A Western Pa. town navigates an uncertain future after its coal plant closes,” Reid Frazier

Profile:

“A Pennsylvania resident impacted by the Norfolk Southern derailment pushes for answers,” Kara Holsopple

Science/Environment:

“East Palestine: One year later,” Reid Frazier, Julie Grant, Kara Holsopple and Kathy Knauer

Traditional Feature:

“A school day built around birds gives students many ways into their world,” Kara Holsopple