Cronkite’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism wins national Murrow Award for News Series
Students from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication were recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for exceptional reporting, naming the "Lethal Restraint" reporting collaboration as the national 2025 Edward R. Murrow Award winner in the Large Digital Organization News Series category.
The Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious in broadcast television and digital news. Earlier this year, the project was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in investigative reporting.
"Lethal Restraint" was produced by journalists from The Associated Press global investigations unit, FRONTLINE and the Howard Centers at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland.
The reporting documents 1,036 non-shooting deaths involving law enforcement from 2012 through 2021, and includes an interactive story and database of the cases.
As part of the "Lethal Restraint" collaboration, Cronkite School students were responsible for unearthing incidents of lethal police restraint for the entire state of Nevada. They combed through court records and submitted public information requests to state and local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and prosecutors. The students also reviewed police body-camera footage and spoke with attorneys, advocates, lawmakers, policing experts, toxicologists and other public health scientists, as well as the surviving families.
The National Murrow Awards will be presented on Monday, Oct. 13, at an event in New York City. To see the full list of 2025 National Murrow Award Winners, click here.
ASU's Howard Center for Investigative Journalism is a groundbreaking, hands-on learning experience supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation. In the Howard Center, graduate and capstone-level undergraduate students learn how to produce deeply researched watchdog journalism, often in partnership with prominent national newsrooms.
Cronkite School "Lethal Restraint" team
REPORTERS
Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Taylor Bayly, Arlyssa Becenti, Jonmaesha Beltran, James Brown Jr., Tirzah Christopher, Nathan Collins, Grace Copperthite, Reagan Ryan Creamer, Tyler Dedrick, Katie Donnelly, Sam Ellefson, Mikey Galo, Rachel Konieczny, Brooke Manning, Shahid Meighan, Wyatt Myskow, Caralin Nunes, Lisa Patel, Juliette Rihl, Elena Santa Cruz, Taylor Stevens, Zachary Van Arsdale, Isza Amponin Zerrudo
ASSISTANT PROJECT EDITOR
Taylor Stevens
PROJECT EDITORS
Professor of Practice Maud Beelman, Professor of Practice Lauren Mucciolo, Knight Chair in Data Journalism Sarah Cohen