Trib honored with national Edward R. Murrow Award for journalism excellence

Trib Total Media has received one of the most prestigious honors in the news business — a national Edward R. Murrow Award — for a project chronicling a reporter’s heartwarming journey while quarantined with her 93-year-old mother in a local nursing home in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

The award for excellence in feature reporting was announced Tuesday by the Radio Television Digital News Association during a virtual ceremony. It is named in honor of the legendary broadcast journalist who rose to prominence during World War II. It recognizes news organizations that demonstrate “technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.” The awards are presented to the news organizations instead of individual journalists.

The Trib will be honored during a black-tie gala Oct. 27.

Among others who received awards were The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker.

In early April 2020, as covid-19 cut a deadly path through Pennsylvania’s nursing homes and the governor hinted at closing the facilities to the public, Trib reporter JoAnne Klimovich Harrop knew there was no doubt what she needed to do.

One hour before the doors of her mother’s Pittsburgh nursing home closed, she walked away from all that was precious — her husband, her home and her career — to live night and day in her mother’s 250-square-foot room for 84 days.

The award-winning story traces the joy and pain of their time together and the loving bond between a mother and daughter so strong that not even a global pandemic could tear it apart.

Klimovich Harrop’s mother was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer during their time together at the Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. She died June 5, 2020, with her daughter at her side.

“This award recognizes the best of the best in the nation, and we are humbled to be honored alongside such talented and courageous journalists who navigated what was undoubtedly the most challenging year of our careers,” said Trib Executive Editor Susan McFarland. “But we are most happy that the memory of JoAnne’s mother and their incredible devotion to each other will be honored on such a large stage.”

In the months following the death of her mother, Klimovich Harrop and her editor spent months sifting through journal entries, photos and video shot during her time at the nursing home. The result was a package presented to Trib readers in December. The project elicited deep emotions from those readers, many of whom questioned what decision they would have made if confronted with the same situation.

“JoAnne was brave. She didn’t think twice about being there for her mother during this incredibly difficult time in our history,” said Trib President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto. “Bringing their story to our readers was a monumental team effort by journalists who would not give up, even during the toughest of times. We are proud that JoAnne’s incredible story is being recognized in this way.”

Klimovich Harrop said it was her strong bond with her mother that drove her to quarantine with her for nearly three months.

“My mother, Evelyn, was my best friend. We were more than mother and daughter. We were pretty much inseparable. We completed each other,” she said. “I was there, holding her hand in Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. … I wanted to be there, because I didn’t want her to be afraid. She watched me take my first breath, and I watched her take her last.”