“Louisiana in general and New Orleans in particular is fortunate to have Zurik and WVUE on guard for public interest,” was one of the comments made by the judges in awarding WVUE, Gray’s Fox affiliate in New Orleans, the Best of Show distinction for its investigative series Drained.

The 2023 National Headliner Awards have been announced and you can see the complete list of local TV and radio station winners and runners up here.

The National Headliner Awards, founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.

In the broadcast or cable “Public Service” category, WVUE was not only awarded First Place but was also given the “Best in Show” distinction for Drained.

Here are the judges’ comments:

“WVUE’s crack investigative unit commands our attention annually, but this year’s probe by Lee Zurik into a quirky Louisiana statute that allowed the city of New Orleans and other agencies to ignore court-ordered settlements for eternity was not only shocking in its depth of cruelty, but in its results: Shamed by the Fox affiliate, governing agencies released tens of millions of dollars to deserving victims of malfeasance. Louisiana in general and New Orleans in particular is fortunate to have Zurik and WVUE on guard for public interest.”

In the Investigative Reporting category, WVUE was also awarded first place for its investigative series Outside the Office.

Here are the judges’ comments:

“Just astonishing: The mayor of New Orleans and her bodyguard disappear into a city-owned apartment for hours at a time; no work gets loggd and the mayor attacks the station’s reporter as disrespectful when the story comes out.  But the station’s intrepid use of public surveillance tapes tell the story with devastating authority.”

“It’s humbling to have The National Headliner Awards honor not one but two separate investigations,” says Mikel Schaefer,  WVUE’s general manager. “We couldn’t be more proud of the work Lee Zurik and the investigative team do for our entire community.”

“Lee Zurik and the investigative team strive daily to hold the powerful accountable,” says Kristen Palestina, WVUE’s news director. “We take our mission to serve the community very seriously and are proud to be honored for our team’s investigative journalism.”

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