South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) announced last week that SDPB Radio News has won seven regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. A Lennox native, Kealey Bultena-Braa is among those honored with the award. Braa and fellow reporter Gary Ellenbolt won for “Noon Newscast for September, 30, 2015.” Live coverage of shooting at Harrisburg (SD) High School.
This is the sixth Edward R. Murrow Award for Braa. Her career in radio began when she interned at SDPR in September of 2010. Braa said, “I started full-time for SDPB in August 2011 and transitioned to the Sioux Falls Radio News Reporter/Producer role in April 2012.”
The story that Braa is being honored for this year is a memorable one for her. She said, “When I think of the kind of stories that I’ll remember for a long time, this is certainly one of them.”
The story covered the shooting that took place at Harrisburg High School on Sept. 30, 2015. Her husband Jordan is employed with the Harrisburg School District and was at the building at the time of the shooting. This personal connection was something that Braa noted. She said, “I wanted to make sure I didn’t put my opinions and ideas into the story.”
She added, “If I was wondering, certainly people in the community were too.”
The story was complex. She said, “There were just so many elements, from just trying to understand what was happening in the building and how law enforcement were handling it, and then with the personal kind of twist on it. It was certainly something I hadn’t experienced before.”
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