Editorial: Champions of Curiosity Awards 2022

The Champions of Curiosity Awards is Hearken’s celebration of community listening, community building, and needs-based service approaches that make the world a better place. We know that over the past year Hearken’s partners pulled through and delivered innovative projects that best served their communities, and we want to honor that impressive work in a variety of categories.

Champions of curiosity improve their communities by asking better questions, doing better listening, and creating better services and offerings for their audience, members, and constituents. In return, their communities have rewarded them with their trust, their loyalty, and often their dollars — proving that when we listen to our communities, subscriptions go up, memberships grow, and retention increases.

How we picked winners: Our team at Hearken evaluated submissions based on the use of a Hearken service or platform, the creativity of the approach, solution, or offering, and the potential for others to replicate or model it. The winners are Hearken partners who’ve exemplified a commitment to engagement as good business through community-building and listening.

The following awards are given for innovation in editorial.

The ‘Land and Expand’ Editorial Award

Winner: Nashville Public Radio: This is Nashville / Citizen Nashville

What They Did: Created A New Ongoing Segment For A Daily Show

This is Nashville is Nashville Public Radio’s daily one-hour show focused on the Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities. However, their “Citizen Nashville” episodes take it one step further by creating content based on civic-minded listener questions. These episodes have gone deep into complex topics including making sense of disability benefits, finding mental health services, navigating birth control, understanding the city budget, unpacking affordable housing, and many more.

More than two dozen Citizen Nashville episodes have been produced since March 2021 and have included a wide-ranging list of guest speakers. In addition to the solutions-oriented on-air discussions each Citizen Nashville story also has a corresponding web post with a recap of the episode, additional information, resources, and links to learn more. (Learn more about how solutions journalism and engagement journalism go together!)

Why We Picked Them:

Nashville Public Radio’s Special Projects Editor Tony Gonzalez shared that this style of listener-powered reporting has “pushed the entire news staff to think more often about news-you-can-use service journalism”. For those not steeped in how newsrooms work, this is different from how many journalists are taught to think! The question of “what’s new and interesting” can often come before “what’s most useful and needed for the people we’re trying to serve.” Citizen Nashville is taking the latter approach, and it’s making a big difference.

Key lessons:

1. Dig into complex topics. Audience members are smart and often appreciate being able to more deeply understand nuanced issues.
2. Bring in experts. Inviting guest speakers can create additional connections and add depth and breadth to your stories.
3. Keep inviting questions. Nashville Public Radio does a great job of using Hearken embeds throughout their site (including in their episode recaps) to encourage their audience to continue to engage.

The “Go Where They Are” Editorial Award

Winner: KQED Bay Curious: Prop. Fest

What They Did: Made Confusing Ballot Measures Understandable, Educational & Accessible

A few years ago a listener reached out to KQED’s Bay Curious asking some complex questions around a proposition that was on the ballot. That led Bay Curious to produce a deep dive explainer series looking into all the propositions on that year’s ballot, and then it ultimately inspired a new annual series called Prop. Fest.

In October of 2022 Bay Curious produced several episodes that offered a closer look at each of the seven propositions on that year’s ballot. These were supported by online articles with a transcript of the episode and links to KQED’s voter guide. However their social video intern, Darren Tu, decided to have some fun and expand the reach of the stories. Darren created social video versions of the Prop Fest episodes that were posted on both TikTok and Instagram. These videos were fun, engaging, and creatively produced. Each one got hundreds of views and brought in a new audience to connect with the series. You can see examples of those videos here, here, and here.

Why We Picked Them:

We appreciate that Bay Curious has continued to come up with innovative ways to connect with their community. Olivia Allen-Price, Host and Senior Editor of Bay Curious, shared that these videos are “hopefully just the beginning for us imagining what interactivity can look like on these platforms”.

Key lessons:

1. Meet your audience where they’re at. Social media offers a way to get bite-sized information to people in places they are already spending time. It’s a fun way to deepen engagement with those who already follow you, as well as a great way to connect with new folks.
2. Bring in fresh eyes. Sometimes it can be helpful to source ideas from those who aren’t as deep in the work. Interns, colleagues in other departments, audience members, and even potential listeners may have great ideas on how something can be expanded or improved (and might even be able to help you execute on their idea!).
3. Use visuals. Bay Curious did a great job taking a wordy and confusing topic and creating catchy social posts that immediately engaged the viewer.

The “Centering the Affected” Editorial Award

Winner: Wisconsin Public Radio: COVID Series & Sundown Towns

What They Did: Reporting Centering On Individuals Affected

Wisconsin Public Radio’s WHYsconsin has answered dozens of questions from Wisconsinites about their state, and 2022 was no different. However, this year a new approach led to a greater centering of individual stories with powerful results.

Back in January 2022 WHYsconsin and WPR engaged in a first-of-its-kind collaboration to ask people to share their COVID-19 experiences. An influx of moving submissions led to a series of four stories about the pandemic’s impact. It included narratives from a health care worker who retired early due to COVID’s toll, a new father trying to navigate protecting his daughter’s health while also visiting relatives, a woman who lost her sister to COVID, a wife whose husband almost couldn’t get a hospital bed in time for a life-saving procedure, and a teen dealing with long COVID.

These stories centered the voices of people from across the state through a collaborative effort between reporters and citizens. The series was very well received on both WPR’s website and their social channels, with people quick to engage with the impactful stories. This led to both reporters and editors stepping back to realize just how powerful the collaboration had been, and how meaningful this kind of storytelling is.

Then, in the spring, WPR received a question about the history of the state’s sundown towns from a woman named Laurie who had just found out her own city was likely once a sundown town. Laurie hadn’t had much luck getting answers to her questions, so WPR started digging in. Their research highlighted 24 communities in Wisconsin that were either ‘surely’ or ‘probable’ sundown towns. This prompted a talk show and an article, both of which delved more deeply into the topic of racial segregation.

Even though this wasn’t a segment that WPR had originally planned on doing, it clearly resonated with the public. Comments during the show and in response to the article brought to light people’s experiences in sundown towns. In addition, the talk segment and story saw above average engagement from their audience.

Why We Picked Them:

In both cases Wisconsin Public Radio made the individual the focus of their reporting. Not only did the stories start with their audiences’ questions and stories, they centered individual voices and experiences throughout the reporting. This encouraged more people to find the stories relatable and engage, by both reading and sharing their own stories, fueling additional conversation.

Key lessons:

1. Let the stories of your audience shine. Some of the most impactful reporting can be generated through audience participation and questions.
2. Be open to new ideas. Laurie’s question about sundown towns wasn’t originally a story WPR was planning on investigating. However, the story resonated with people and invited others to recount experiences that might not otherwise have been publicly shared.
3. Expand your team. The partnership between WHYsconsin and the broader WPR team allowed for more robust and expansive reporting.

The “Learning Should Be Fun” Editorial Award

Winner: WPLN Unusual Place Names Pronunciations

What They Did: Let A Host Let Loose!

There’s no better medium for reporting about place names than audio. Every city and town has history embedded in the decisions behind not just what to name each thoroughfare, but also how to say them. We’ve found that many Hearken partners, particularly those who work in audio, find smash hit stories in reporting on the history and pronunciations of place names.

WPLN’s Curious Nashville series did a delightful job reporting on unusual place name pronunciations in collaboration with on-air host Marianna Bacallao. As special project editor Tony Gonzalez wrote in their entry, “the Hearken approach invigorated her reporting, injected a lot of levity into the storytelling, and helped develop her writing voice in a way that isn’t usually encouraged in her newscast work. It was one of those stories where I knew we could show our entire newsroom how to have fun while being informative, and I think we accomplished that.”

Why We Picked Them:

Hearken co-founder and CEO Jennifer Brandel found a perplexing tension between the ideas that: learning should be fun, and the news is all about learning, but devoid (usually) of fun. This idea of “fun” doesn’t have to mean goofy or wacky, though it can, but more about being satisfying, interesting and human. This WPLN story is all of those things! Plus it’s a beautiful example of how traditional news outlets can also serve up stories that illuminate idiosyncrasies and pride of place. With so many cities and towns becoming indistinguishable from one another by the same box stores and corporate brands, local place names are one area of exploration that always yields insight and new connections.

Key lessons:

1. Give reporters a place to play. Hearken’s public powered approach breaks many of the rules of traditional reporting, and many who try it out find it creatively expanding and fulfilling.
2. Show off your staff’s personality. It can be all too easy for members of the public to see “the media” as people who are at a remove and not very relatable. WPLN was able to give their on-air host a place to show other dimensions of her personality than what they hear in the serious newscasts.
3. Lean on history. Not all news needs to be about what just happened or is about to happen. For local newsrooms, we’ve found that stories about their town, city, region or state’s history connect and often create top-performing content. It also helps new residents and long-timers alike become more aware of and appreciate what shapes where they call home.

The “This Wouldn’t Have Been Covered Otherwise” Editorial Award

Winner: WOSU for history reporting on the first Black graduate of OSU and same-sex marriage statutes

What They Did: Looked Back To Make Sense of Now

WOSU did two unique local stories that shed light on important histories and added context to current day issues. The first story we want to highlight is about a major institution, Ohio State University, the history of HBCUs, and African American life in the post Civil War period. WOSU got this question from Binaebi Calkins: What do we know about the first African American graduate of The Ohio State University?

The answer is Sherman Hamlin Guss, and he graduated in 1892. While Guss’ name was known, no one had ever researched his life and appropriately acknowledged his legacy. After doing weeks of research in archives around the county, WOSU was able to tell an original local story that was also very popular on their website (#1 for the month of June) as well as allowed them to reach new audiences in the university alumni community.

WOSU did another story that they normally would not cover, were it not for their public-powered Curious CBus series. This one was a matter of law — specifically old statutes regarding same sex marriage that remain on the books despite no longer being enforceable. While many feel same-sex marriage is safely established by the Supreme Court, the recent Roe v. Wade reversal shows how long standing precedents are not set in stone. As Digital Media Producer Michael DeBonis wrote in WOSU’s nomination submission, “This story helped emphasize the fact that old laws can potentially come back in a zombie-like fashion if they are not removed.”

Why We Picked Them:

When Hearken partners tell us they had blockbuster stories that traveled far and wide, oftentimes they are not about breaking news, but rather, history. Especially for local news outlets, there’s a huge untapped resource in taking the time to look back on current events and what shaped them. Answering questions about history not only ends up providing more context for what’s happening now, it also reminds people that everything is the result of people making decisions at some point in time, and those decisions can be changed. We loved these two perfect examples from WOSU that highlight two stories that are both extremely current and historical, and how they wove together the past and present to bring wholly original stories to the people of Columbus.

Key lessons:

1. Local news audiences are hungry for history. Many questions asked to newsrooms have the opportunity to go back in time and bring to light insights that may have been forgotten, or never really shared.
2. Looking backward provides context to look forward. Though an editor might understandably question: why do a story on X topic now? By thinking creatively, reporters and producers can trace the fundamental issues society is embroiled in now as variations on timeless themes, like “who is allowed to do X?” In the case of these stories, it’s: who is allowed to get an education? And who is allowed to have their love protected by state law? Connecting the past to the present provides powerful context and unlocks new ways of seeing entrenched topics.
3. History = opportunities to partner with other information professionals. Many Hearken partners have found consistent allies and support from historical societies, archives, local foundations and libraries who have powerful material on hand that they’d love to be activated and shared by newsrooms.

• Read about other 2022 winners: Creative Community, Impact, Partnerships & Revenue, Internal Culture Change. We’ll be announcing one category per day.
• Check out the Champions of Curiosity from previous years dating back to 2016!

Want to become a Champion of Curiosity? We want that, too! Check out more about what we do and who we work with at wearehearken.com, follow us on Twitter @wearehearken, or sign up for our newsletter, The Hearkening.