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June 19, 2024

RIAS Berlin Commission Award Ceremony 2024

The RIAS Berlin Commission invited friends and alumni to celebrate the winners of this year’s annual RIAS Media Awards competition on June 03, 2024 in Berlin. The annual award honors some of the best examples of transatlantic broadcast journalism.

RIAS Berlin Commission Chairman Peter Limbourg and Clark Price, Deputy Head of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Berlin, welcomed the winners and esteemed guests of the award ceremony. Among those present were members of parliament, RIAS alumni from all over Germany and the United States as well as the members of the board of the RIAS Berlin Commission. In their remarks Limbourg and Price emphasised the need for accurate and objective journalism in times of growing disinformation to protect democratic values. Through the exchange of journalists from Germany and the United States for a better understanding of current issues in both countries the RIAS Berlin Commission contributes to strengthening the kind of journalism that gives facts and context. Which today is more necessary than ever.

This year’s award ceremony was hosted by Melissa Eddy and Michail Paweletz who entertained the two hundred guests with the greatest of ease, creating special moments for all winners and giving the evening the warm spirit of the RIAS family.

The jury of distinguished journalists from the United States and Germany selected the five winners in the categories Television, Radio, Digital Media and Fellow, as well as the Grand Prize from entries submitted from across the United States and Germany.

The jury commendations for the winners of the RIAS Media Prize 2024

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RIAS Grand Prize – Sigrid Faltin, MDR, “Flucht in den Osten – G.I.s in der DDR” (Escape to the East – G.I.s in the GDR)
A compelling story about three American soldiers who deserted to Communist East Germany to start new lives behind the Iron Curtain sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Cold War: more than 200 NATO soldiers, mostly Americans, deserted. As Sigrid Faltin shows in her powerful film, political reasons were rarely behind their desire to leave the West. Instead, they were trying to find romance, seeking to avoid punishment for petty crimes and hoping to escape racial discrimination.

RIAS TV Award – Heinke Schröder, SWR, “Auswandern nach Amerika – Fluch oder Segen?” (Emigrating to America – curse or blessing?)
“Auswandern nach Amerika – Flucht oder Segen ” is the winner of the RIAS Media Prize for television. The Francisco Family sees the USA as a land of unlimited possibilities, unlike Germany. They move to Florida with 13 suitcases and not a lot of preparation. The jury chose this entry because of its personal story of one family’s American dream , and the following reality.

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RIAS Radio Award – Iska Schreglmann, Florian Kummert, Susi Weichselbaumer, BR, “Deutsche in den USA” (Germans in the USA)
We all know the history of Germans in the U.S.A., or so we thought. In their deeply researched and reported entry, Iska Schreglmann, Florian Kummert and Susi Weichselbaumer, reveal the extent of those roots, why they were covered up and how they are being revived again today. Through the voices of German-Americans, from seniors who can remember being torn between their German heritage and their American upbringing to a revolutionary from Prussia, who emigrated to Wisconsin launched himself on a path to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior under Abraham Lincoln, their radio piece surprises and teaches listeners about the ties that influence us today.

RIAS Digital Media Award – Andreas Becker, Nicolas Martin, Deutsche Welle, “Cannabis Cowboys – a story about big dreams, juicy money and never-ending hype”. The podcast Cannabis Cowboys is the winner of the RIAS Media Prize in the Category: Digital. Andreas Becker and Nicolas Martin tell the scam story of the Berlin start-up Juicy Fields, which promises investors that they can get rich with medical cannabis. The jury sees this podcast as a brilliant piece of research and a crime story at the same time, spanning from Berlin to the big cannabis giants in the USA and Russia. Captivatingly told and an insight into how business crime works today.

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RIAS Fellow Award – Lane Luckie, KLTV, for series of seven spot news reports from Germany during a RIAS fellowship program to Cologne and Munich
In a series of seven live reports from Germany to Tyler, Texas, Lane Luckie delivers content that effectively examines the unique relationship between the United States and Germany. In one report from Munich, Luckie showcases the NFL’s efforts to enhance its footprint in Germany thanks to a new deal and measurable growth abroad. During that report, Luckie demonstrated his knowledge of both countries and how America’s favorite pastime continues to gain new ground. Especially impressive was that Luckie’s live shots were performed individually as a ‘one man band’; a sign that he is capable of writing, shooting, and editing his own content.


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