The Star’s coverage of Branson duck boat tragedy wins third national honor
The Star’s coverage of the July sinking of a Branson duck boat that killed 17 people was named a finalist Tuesday in another national journalism contest.
The staff’s work was recognized in the Investigative Reporters and Editors competition in the category “Investigations Triggered by Breaking News.” Reporters from ProPublica won the category for “Zero Tolerance,” their coverage of immigrant children separated at the border from their families.
The Star’s “Tragedy on Table Rock Lake” was one of two finalists. The other was CNN for “The Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.”
About The Star’s coverage of the July sinking, judges wrote: “Within hours after a ‘duck boat’ sank, killing 17 people, The Star jumped all over the story, covering it like a blanket. Their reporting exemplified the reason this category was created.”
The Star reported less than 12 hours after the sinking that safety recommendations proposed in 2002 by the National Transportation Safety Board had been ignored for years, despite other incidents involving casualties. A 1999 tragedy in Arkansas that killed 13 people sparked the NTSB’s interest in duck boats.
“Tragedy on Table Rock Lake” also has been a finalist for breaking news coverage in this year’s Scripps Howard Awards and The News Leaders Association Awards, which combine the American Society of News Editors Awards and the Associated Press Media Editors Awards.
The Star won the IRE breaking news award two years ago for its coverage of the death of a 10-year-old on the 17-story Verruckt water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas. That reporting revealed that a lack of state regulation over amusement park rides and little outside review for safety had put the public at risk.
This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 4:16 PM.