“Gas Well Explosion”

Recipient of the Best Spot News by a Station (Television) award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2011)

WFAA, Dallas-Fort Worth

Judge Comments:

The station is everywhere, above the fire, on the ground. The station put a face on the story and because WFAA also values investigative work, it was able to put context on the explosion. We appreciated how reporter Jim Douglas avoided hyperventilated language and overblown emotion. He stuck to the facts. The second story put tremendous context on how widespread the pipelines are in Texas. The station had a rare photo of a tornado-like cloud formed by the heat from the fire. The station also linked a political fight over drilling in the area.

Al Tompkins
Broadcast/Online Group Leader
The Poynter Institute

To see examples of  WFAA’s award-winning coverage,
play the clip below.