Communiqué
Former WOUB Student Recognized with National Murrow Award
< < Back toJonathan Walsh received the award in New York City October 14
ATHENS, OH – Jonathan Walsh, BSJ ’95, is having to move some things around to make room on his awards shelf. The nine-time Emmy winner recently received the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA). Getting this kind of recognition in sports reporting is something Walsh, who currently works as an investigative news reporter for WEWS News 5 in Cleveland, has dreamed about since his days working as a student reporter at WOUB Public Media.
“When I worked at WOUB, they had tryouts to be a television sports anchor. You put on your best tie and do your hair and go try out,” said Walsh. “I was not chosen. I was bad. However, I didn’t let that hinder me. I started going into the station to shoot video and do editing work for the students that were chosen. It was a great learning experience. I was able to get hands-on experience when I was a freshman. There aren’t many schools that allow freshman to do the things I was able to do. WOUB welcomed me in, and it was a huge factor in what I do today.”
Walsh received the Murrow award on October 14 at Gotham Hall in New York City. He and fellow team members were recognized for a story called The Turn. The report highlighted a Cleveland suburban golf program that helps people with physical challenges play the game of golf. It’s a charity that uses para-mobile devices to help people get around the course, swing their clubs and have a lot of fun.
“It was a shock to be considered, but not so shocking at the same time because you know when you have an amazing story,” said Walsh. “When we heard about this story, we knew we needed to do it. We somehow convinced our news director that an investigative group should take some time off and do this story. Hats off to him. He saw this was going to be a really good story about good people doing good things and about people being helped, and he let us do it.”
Walsh has worked in Cleveland for the last six years. Before that he worked in Abilene, Texas; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Rochester, Minnesota and Toledo, Ohio.
“Ohio University has so many great resources including WOUB,” said Walsh. “It’s such a great place to start and learn for young journalists.”