Emmy-nominated Jacob Washington ’21 was a producer for “It’s The Gateway to Baltimore: The Key Bridge Collapse,” which earned Baltimore’s WJZ-TV a regional 2025 Murrow Award.
Q&A with Jacob Washington ’21, awarded for broadcast excellence
Since 1971, the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards have celebrated outstanding journalism that showcases technical mastery and the power of storytelling to serve the community. Emmy-nominated Jacob Washington ’21 was a producer for “It’s The Gateway to Baltimore: The Key Bridge Collapse,” which earned Baltimore’s WJZ-TV a regional 2025 Murrow Award for breaking news coverage.
Q: Can you tell us about the piece that won the Murrow Award?
JW: We received the award for our on-air coverage of the tragic Key Bridge Collapse in March 2024 in Baltimore. Six construction members tragically lost their lives after a Dali cargo ship crashed into the historic Francis Scott Key Bridge, ultimately decimating it.
Q: What role did you play in covering the accident?
JW: My station, WJZ CBS Baltimore, was on the air for nearly 14 hours of non-stop coverage that day. As a producer, I was responsible with managing multiple live elements, from the anchors’ scripting to the live shots with correspondents in the field, and to the soundbites from concerned citizens across Baltimore.
Q: What was the most challenging part of working on this story?
JW: For me, it was formatting the show. The way we normally produce a television news show is through a lot of pre-formatting so to speak … from the shots, the video, graphics, scripting and sound. Most of our elements are pre-selected by the time we hit the air. What made this different and challenging was having to truly keep the ball rolling while the story was still developing. I had to maneuver multiple live reporters and correspondents across the Baltimore area.
It was also the raw emotion of it all. These were men who had families, totally unsuspecting that this would ever happen to them. Nor was there enough time for many of them to contemplate what was going on. You can’t put words to such pain. To witness that, let alone be involved in that, it humanizes you.
Q: What does winning this award mean to you personally and professionally?
JW: Winning this award means I approached a tragic story with care and clarity. As a journalist, especially in a time of misinformation and lies, to truly be able to deliver the unfiltered truth is a delicate duty and a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. I feel I proved to myself after years of mishaps and doubt that I could truly manage breaking news and deliver it successfully.
Q: Were there any professors, classes or campus experiences at uedbet体育官网 that especially helped you in relation to the work you do?
JW: Honestly, the journalism sequence I took with Dr. David Schwartz and Dr. Carolyn Yaschur prepared me for this. All the basics of storytelling that I learned from them and the assignments they gave truly came into play. I am extremely grateful for that.
I also think my role as president of the Black Student Union helped me get to where I am today. Although I have since left the television news industry and entered a more creative field, the skills of being proactive, solution-oriented and quick-thinking continue to come into play for me.
Q: Anything you’d like to add?
JW: This wouldn’t have been possible without the Office of Student Inclusion & Diversity as well as Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Yaschur for everything they taught me.