2026 EDWARD R . MURROW AWARD OVERALL EXCELLENCE

abcnews.com · Feb 14, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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ByABC News6 February 2024 at 17:0014 min readJournalism is experiencing an existential crisis.The very nature of truth itself is being challenged every day – by those in power, and by ordinary citizens who themselves struggle to differentiate propaganda from proof. Meanwhile, newsrooms and their staffs continue to disappear. Those fortunate few that remain soldier on in the face of ever-increasing challenges, at a time when the world needs them more than ever.We do so not because it is convenient, but because it is a calling. For 70 years, ABC News has worked to earned the trust of and connection with our viewers. Reaching them wherever they are in this changing media landscape is our top priority.ABC News continues to answer that call whether at the Syria-Lebanon border for an extraordinary moment in the history of the Middle East, in Ukraine during the continued Russian assault, or questioning the presidential candidates in their only debate on behalf of the American people. The Presidential debate was produced entirely at ABC News’ expense, and often in ways that minimized competitive advantage. The network offered the debate across 17 other networks, enabling more than 67 million viewers to watch. In all, more than 41% of registered voters watched the debate.All of us at ABC News are committed to something vital: delivering the best journalism and storytelling possible and making a meaningful impact on our audiences and the world around us, whether by World News Tonight with David Muir (the most-watched newscast in the U.S. in 2025); 20/20 (our award-winning primetime newsmagazine); or Good Morning America (in its 13th consecutive year of ranking #1 among morning news programs). Together, we reach more Americans than any other outlet…by far.In 2025, we expanded our storytelling in a number of ways:Reports that stretch long past the initial news cycle. This groundbreaking but simple approach to news coverage was conceived in the wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on May 24th, 2023. We watched news crews – ours and others – overtake the small town as often happens in breaking news. Every hotel room, restaurant seat and parking spot are swallowed up quickly and then – just as quickly – the news cycle takes journalists to the next big story. We decided to cover Uvalde differently, committing to a deeper reporting initiative. ABC News opened a bureau, embedding in all aspects of the community, including the local newspaper, the Uvalde Leader-News. Our reporting year culminated in May, 2025, with the moving feature-length documentary, Print it Black. The film focuses on one family whose daughter was killed, and their “second family” – the staff of the newspaper. The film provides a deeply intimate and hyper-local look into the concurrent national crises of mass shootings and dwindling local journalism.Expanded partnerships with affiliates and owned stations. ABC News knows our power is rooted in collaboration. In 2025, we prioritized reporting partnerships with our eight owned stations, producing impactful enterprise investigations and the most ambitious live coverage of June's PRIDE parades that we've ever broadcast.Commitment to climate reporting. In April, 2025, we launched The Power of Us, a far-reaching network-wide initiative exploring the transformative potential of actions everyone can take to address one of the most consequential issues of our time. We investigated Navajo and Hopi Nations lacking access to electricity, and profiled Navajo-led companies working to provide off-the-grid independence with solar energy. We took a fascinating look at life in Earthships (homes made entirely of recyclable materials), and focused on how anyone can adapt sustainable living practices in their own homes. We produced a groundbreaking investigative report exposing the epic 9,000 mile journey American plastic waste can take across the globe under the premise of “recycling.” This report, a year-and-a-half in the making, appears to be the first and only time American journalists have successfully tracked waste from U.S. corporations to foreign shores using tracking devices. Never before have specific American corporations and government leaders been so publicly confronted with the impacts of the plastic waste America ships abroad.Leading the 2025 Presidential election cycle with exclusive reporting. Our team's preparation for, and commitment to reporting on the 2025 Presidential race was unrivaled. In fact, our reporting consistently became the primary source for other news outlets. Each of those reports is a testament to journalism’s foundational principle: to inform the public, enabling them to make their own decisions about the most important issues facing our country.On July 4th, one week after a disappointing debate with then-candidate Donald Trump, President Biden gave one of the most important TV interviews of his career in an exclusive one-on-one with George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos pressed Biden on reports that the democratic leadership had lost confidence in him and on claims inside the White House that Biden's cognitive lapses had become increasingly common.Then, on September 10th, the American public had their only opportunity to witness Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris debate side by side, offering their plans and presenting their positions to the American public. Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis went into the debate not with fact-checks in mind, but with facts at hand. This was not gratuitous. We felt an obligation to present statements of fact when the truth was misconstrued. We did not want viewers to leave the debate misinformed. Over 100 producers, designers, engineers, carpenters, camera people and many others set to work at the National Constitution Center and the Pennsylvania Convention Center for operations that included thirteen cameras (nine robotic) inside the debate hall, more than 20 LED screens, four fully functioning TV studios and a 90,000-sq. ft. press room - the biggest ever - complete with workspaces, monitors, power, internet, and space for close to 1,000 journalists and 85 TV platforms.We have expanded our culturally impactful programming, inspiring and educating our audience in new ways. The one-hour special, Latinos in Hollywood: Owning Our Destiny celebrated the resiliency, artistry, and ingenuity of Hollywood’s creative Latino community while underscoring the vital importance of visibility, representation, and equal opportunity; We partnered with the 10 Million Names Project on the groundbreaking endeavor to unearth the names of 10 million formerly enslaved African Americans whose contributions have been erased or hidden due the brutal history of slavery. Our hope is that these stories will inform and educate the larger public while illuminating the simple fact that Black history is American history – essential for all of us to understand.We continue to broaden our reach in the digital space. In 2025, we further expanded our ABC News Live streaming service. ABC News Live has seen truly remarkable growth, closing out 2025 with more than 600 million hours streamed. In 2025, we launched an additional weekend broadcast, bringing the live channel to more than 80 hours of programming a week.Prime with Linsey Davis, the platform's flagship newscast just celebrated its 5th anniversary. The broadcast's great strength lies in their desire to delve deeper, lingering on stories that matter most to viewers. Unlike a traditional newscasts that often devote a minute or two to a story, a Prime story might be 10 or 12 minutes long. Prime has quickly become the primary content engine of ABC News’ streaming channel.Our social media accounts in just the last quarter of 2025 increased 523% year over year in total views. ABC News on TikTok has had a surge in views, particularly with political content.The digital teams have produced immersive long-form series and documentaries, introduced innovative programming for social media platforms, created chart-topping podcasts, and offered unmatched statistical analysis.ABC News respectfully submits the following selection of original content for your consideration for what we regard as the most important award in journalism: the 2025 Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence Award. ABC News Digital ABC NEWS ON TIKTOK ABC News brings breaking news, in-depth reporting, and cultural moments to life on TikTok and is charting the path for news on the platform. There's a renowned appetite for news and politics on TikTok. On election day and the day after, our social team produced 36 election-related pieces of content. 23 of those stories saw one million or more views. During our coverage of devastating Hurricane Milton on TikTok, 18 out of 38 videos (47%) also saw a million or more views.​ Providing quick, critical breaking news and relevant information has helped us grow our follower count by more than 80% year over year and we're excited for continued growth and expansion in 2025.WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWWhat You Need to Know was created to give viewers a clear, reliable way to stay informed in a fast-moving world. The goal is simple: deliver the most important news of the day in less than ten minutes, using firsthand reporting, not commentary.The editorial mission is reflected in the title: What You Need to Know. The show combines major breaking news with the cultural and viral moments people are talking about, so viewers understand both what matters and what’s shaping the conversation. We don’t talk about the news; we report it, so viewers leave informed and ready to share what they’ve learned.The production team is based in New York, Washington, and London, allowing the program to draw on ABC News’ global reporting in real time. That structure makes it possible to respond quickly as stories change while still delivering a tightly produced, cohesive show. Each day, the editorial focus