10/13/2026
Eleven recent graduates from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and former WUFT student journalists received three 2026 Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) National Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Nicole Borman, B.S. Journalism 2026, earned the Excellence in Video Hard News Student Award for “Rebuilding paradise: How a Florida coastal town is bouncing back after three consecutive hurricanes,” a video she filmed and edited with guidance from Journalism Chair Harrison Hove. This video, which was uploaded to YouTube and to the WUFT website, showed how Cedar Key residents were bouncing back from the devastation of Hurricanes Debbie, Idalia and Helene in 2024.
“The Price of Paradise,” a five-part project created by 10 students and supervised by Senior Lecturer and Director of Climate and Environment Reporting Initiatives Cynthia Barnett and conservation filmmaker/photographer Gabby Salazar earned the Excellence in Digital Reporting Student Award. The Price of Paradise covered the Costa Rica tourism industry, investigating the effects of recent government policies and how the influx of tourists is affecting Costa Rican residents. WUFT also received the Digital Award in the Small Market Radio category for agricultural and environmental coverage, overseen by Report for America Corps Member Rose Schnabel.
The awards were presented at the Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on Oct. 12 in New York City.
First photo: Left to right: Murrow Award presenter/emcee Michel Martin presented the award to “The Price of Paradise” team members Kimberly Blum, Kat Tran, Franklin Lopez Martinez, Gabriella Chavez, Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira, Sabrina Castro and Maria Avlonitis.
Second photo: Nicole Borman and Kimberly Blum with their awards
Third photo: Nicole Borman, Scott Pelley, Kimberly Blum and Dean Hub Brown.
Fourth photo: Murrow Award presenter/emcee Michel Martin presenting an award to Nicole Borman
