BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — 7 News has been honored with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for I-Team Chief Investigator Ed Drantch's months-long investigation 'Getting Poisoned: Niagara Falls Neighborhood Under Cloud of Cancer-Causing Chemical.'
WKBW was recognized in the category of Investigative Reporting - Small Market Television for Region 11, and competes against media organizations in all New York markets outside of New York City.
The 7 News investigation revealed the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant was emitting the cancer-causing chemical Ortho-Toluidine at a rate of up to seven times the legal standard, creating a plume over nearby neighborhoods and schools.
Following the I-Team's reporting, the Niagara Falls plant was fined $15,000 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The fines were tied to two different violations that pertain to the emission of chemicals from the plant. They were part of a consent order signed by plant management and the DEC.
The Murrow Awards are considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of journalism. They are administered by the Radio Television Digital News Association, which is the largest professional organization in the world devoted solely to broadcast and digital journalism. Winning entries "should exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community," according to the RTNDA.
WKBW's winning entry will now compete for a national Murrow against investigative stories from 13 other regions. Winners will be announced in August.
