The 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards saw a shift in the winners, with streaming outlets like Max, Netflix, and Paramount+ taking home some of the top honors. This was a departure from the usual news organizations like CNN, CBS News, NBC News, and ABC News, who did not make the cut this year.
Among the winners were Max, Little Room Films & The Boston Globe for their docuseries and podcast “Murder in Boston,” which delved into a high-profile murder case in Boston and the ensuing rush to judgment. MTV Documentary Films and Paramount+ won for “Birthing A Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney,” a documentary exploring forced reproduction in the antebellum South. Netflix and Lucernam Films also secured a win for “You Are Not Alone: Fighting the Wolfpack,” a documentary analyzing a gang rape incident during the 2016 San Fermín festival.
The results of this year’s awards may spark concerns about the challenges faced by mainstream TV-news organizations. With viewers increasingly turning to streaming services and traditional TV audiences and budgets shrinking, many news companies are facing financial difficulties. Corporate parents, such as Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Comcast, are undergoing restructurings and considering mergers to adapt to the changing media landscape.
During the ceremony, “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker acknowledged the turbulent times for journalism, emphasizing the importance of honest reporting in a democracy. Several duPont winners focused on themes of race, highlighting historical and contemporary examples of racial divide in America.
In addition to the projects mentioned, other duPont winners included The Center for Public Integrity, Mother Jones, Reveal & PRX for “40 Acres and a Lie,” and National Geographic Documentary Films for “The Space Race.” The awards also recognized outstanding audio reporting by NPR, ProPublica & On the Media WNYC Studios, and “We Regret to Inform You” co-produced with Reveal and The Investigative Reporting Project at UC Berkeley.
Newcomers to the duPont-Columbia Awards, like The Outlaw Ocean Project and Scripps News, were honored for their investigative reporting on topics like seafood trade and missed warnings in the Maine shootings. Vice News and Songbird Studios & Imaginary Lane also received accolades for their online films.
Established in 1942, the duPont-Columbia Awards celebrate excellence in journalism, with a jury of industry experts selecting winners from a diverse pool of entries. The awards not only recognize outstanding journalists but also support journalism education and innovation. The 2023 winners reflect the evolving landscape of journalism, with a mix of traditional news outlets and emerging streaming platforms being honored for their impactful reporting.
