2021 Showcase Gold Storytelling Award: “The Long Haul: Texas and the Pandemic"

By mid-March of 2021, Texas had reported more than 2.5 million coronavirus cases and almost 45,000 deaths. The pandemic caused hundreds of thousands of Texans to flood unemployment phone lines and Internet portals and to wait for hours in food bank lines. COVID-19’s impact on Texas was unlike anything that came before it. But despite this enormous impact, by mid-March of 2021, many Texans were also experiencing pandemic fatigue. People were exhausted by the tragedy and the restrictions it imposed.

The Texas Standard decided to treat their material from 12 months as an oral history of sorts. They combed through hundreds of interviews and reported stories in an effort to begin to capture some understanding of how the pandemic shaped the lives of Texans.

But they also wanted to add something new to the conversation for audiences who were only starting to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel offered by increasing vaccine access. They rallied behind an idea offered by digital producer/reporter Caroline Covington to explore COVID-19’s impact through the lens of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

At first, this felt like a very abstract idea. The framework wasn’t as concrete as a timeline, for example. But as they listened back to their reporting, it became more tangible and, in fact, felt absolutely intuitive. The concept of a hierarchy of needs is one we all live with every day. We must have access to water and food but we yearn with another part of ourselves for higher understanding.

The result of their hard work is stunning. This special show does a tremendous job of serving as an archive for history and also a cathartic experience for listeners still raw from the effects of the pandemic.

Two Texas Standard team members spoke with the Headliners Foundation’s Mark Morrison to discuss their award-winning body of work.