Annenberg TV News wins Murrow Award

The Radio Television Digital News Association recognized Annenberg TV News with the National Student Murrow Award for Excellence in Video Newscast, on Monday. ATVN was recognized for its coverage of the false alarm campus shooting alert that happened in October 2017.

The coverage, in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, was on a professor who falsely informed her students that there was an active shooter in Fertitta Hall. The reports of gunfire triggered a campus-wide police response.

A group of 42 student journalists on the ATVN team covered the breaking news, according to USC alumna and former ATVN Executive Producer Samantha Bergum.

“These outstanding student journalists represent not only the future of journalism, but also the professional level of reporting that student journalists are already bringing news audiences across the country,” said Scott Libin, the Chair of RTDNA, according to the association’s website.

ATVN covered the breaking news on the shooting, gave informed eyewitness reactions and provided important actionable information to the USC community, RTDNA’s website said.

Bergum accepted the award at the event along with ATVN Faculty Director Stacy Scholder.

“I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when we won,” Bergum said. “More than anything, I think it’s just a testament to good journalism … it was a really significant day and a day that reminds you why journalism is so important to communities in crisis.”

Bergum said that the way the Annenberg newsroom came together amid the chaos on campus was inspiring.

“It was all hands on deck to cover the important story,” Bergum said. “Though I got to be on stage accepting the award, it’s truly, to me, an award for the whole newsroom.”

Daniel Toomey, an anchor of the broadcast that night and a junior majoring in journalism, described the media center as hectic when the news broke.

“Not only were we covering this crazy thing that was happening on campus, but we were covering Vegas as well,” Toomey said. “It really [tested] your ability to work under pressure … You were dealing with two sensitive subjects on a super tight schedule.”

Toomey said that everyone at ATVN knew that they had to get the job done that day.

“You could definitely understand that our newsroom was locked in that day … and was determined to get an episode out,” Toomey said.

He also credits Bergum with helping with organizing and leading the newsroom during the shooting alert.

“You wondered at points, when working with Sam, what she was doing in a college newsroom,” Toomey said. “You walk into a newsroom and … you [realize] that things are crazy … but you [knew] that if Sam is there, then you are going to come out with a good broadcast either way.”