WFIU/WTIU News staff have earned more than two-dozen awards from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, including one of the organization's most prestigious honors for journalistic service.

Newsroom researcher Cathy Knapp received the Indiana SPJ's annual Slaymaker Service to Journalism Award, which recognizes a person or organization for advancing the practice of quality journalism in the state. Knapp joined WFIU/WTIU News in 2016 after more than 40 years as a researcher for The Indianapolis Star.

Read more: Cathy Knapp Honored with 2026 Slaymaker Service Award

The WFIU/WTIU News team earned 25 additional awards for online, radio and television stories published and aired throughout 2025, including eight 1st Place trophies, seven 2nd Place awards, and 10 in 3rd Place.

The news team collectively earned 1st Place in Radio Continuing Coverage for a series of stories on the fight over redistricting in the Indiana legislature.

Reporter Clayton Baumgarth earned First Place in the outside Indianapolis television division for Coverage of Government or Politics for Red, White & Righteous, a reporting project on the rise of Christian nationalism in Indiana politics. His four-episode audio series on Christian nationalism earned 2nd Place in the Best Podcast category for Baumgarth and colleagues Bob Zaltsberg, Cathy Knapp, and Sara Wittmeyer. And an hour-long discussion of the reporting, broadcast live from a remote location for WFIU's weekly discussion show Noon Edition, earned the WFIU/WTIU News team a Third Place award in the Radio Public Affairs category.

Reporter Ethan Sandweiss received 1st Place in the Radio Feature Story category for his reporting on a First Amendment lawsuit, filed by a fired staffer, accusing Indiana University of interfering with its student newspaper. His coverage of the university's transparency deficits also earned 2nd Place in Radio In-Depth Reporting and 3rd Place in the outside Indianapolis Education Coverage television category.

Sandweiss received 1st Place awards for coverage in two more of the division's television categories: Coverage of Children's issues, for a story on how a new retention law was affecting third-graders, and in Environmental Reporting, for a story about Gov. Mike Braun's connection to a controversy over forest management.

Sandweiss's reporting on ambulance shortages earned 2nd Place in the Radio Feature Story category as well as 3rd Place in the Medical or Science Reporting television category. He also earned 2nd Place for Business or Consumer Affairs reporting for a television feature explaining how the trade war with China was hurting Indiana farmers.

Reporter George Hale received First Place in the Radio Breaking News category for his reporting on last April's historic flooding disaster, which killed two people and caused widespread damage across dozens of Indiana counties.

Hale also received First Place in the Radio Documentary or Special category for a half-hour special update to WFIU's "Rush to Kill" podcast on the campaign to convince outgoing President Biden to spare the lives of prisoners on federal death row. His coverage of the state death penalty earned a 2nd Place award in Radio Breaking News.

Hale also earned Third Place in the digital media Criminal Justice Reporting category for his investigation into the conditions of confinement for a Utah man serving a life sentence for abducting and raping teenager Elizabeth Smart in 2002.

The newsroom also received several awards for sports reporting, both in radio and television categories. WFIU/WTIU News director Sara Wittmeyer won 1st Place for a feature on a Hoosier sports fan who amassed an enormous collection of sports broadcast recordings over several decades.

Reporter Isabella Vesperini took both 2nd Place and 3rd Place in the outside Indianapolis television Sports Reporting category, one about a sprinter from Bloomington competing in the Para World Championships and another about Indiana superstar Caitlin Clark inspiring girls to join basketball leagues.

Vesperini also won 2nd Place for Coverage of Children's Issues for a feature story on state cuts to childcare services.

The WFIU/WTIU News team also received recognition for its online and multimedia work in 2025. Digital journalist and newscaster Joanie Dugan earned 2nd Place for Best Use of Social Media. And the WFIU/WTIU News website received 2nd Place in the Best Journalism Website category.

Former WFIU/WTIU reporter Bente Bouthier's coverage of last year's government shutdown and its impact on SNAP programs earned 2nd Place in the Coverage of Government or Politics television category.

And outside the newsroom, WTIU videographer Saddam Al-Zubaidi earned two 1st Place awards in the General News or Sports Videography and Feature News Videography categories for his work on the station's "Journey Indiana" series, which chronicles the Hoosier state's culture, history and people.

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SPECIAL HONORS DIVISION

Slaymaker Service to Journalism Award
Cathy Knapp

ONLINE/MULTIMEDIA DIVISION

Best Journalism Website
2nd Place
WFIU/WTIU News website

Best Podcast
2nd Place
Clayton Baumgarth, Bob Zaltsberg, Cathy Knapp and Sara Wittmeyer
Red, White, and Righteous

Best Use of Social Media
2nd Place
Joanie Dugan

PRINT AND DIGITAL DIVISION

Criminal Justice Reporting (Circulation above 10,000)
3rd Place
George Hale
Elizabeth Smart kidnapper moved from federal prison in Indiana after attacks in custody

RADIO DIVISION

Radio Best Newscast
3rd Place
WFIU local newscast from Oct. 10, 2025
Sara Wittmeyer

Radio Breaking News Coverage
1st Place
Flooding from major storms causes devastation across Indiana
George Hale

Radio Breaking News Coverage
2nd Place
Rare state execution for man convicted of killing police officer
George Hale

Radio Continuing Coverage
1st Place
WFIU/WTIU News
Indiana considers mid-cycle redistricting

Radio Continuing Coverage
3rd Place
WFIU/WTIU News
Indiana University fires student media adviser, stops printing paper

Radio Documentary or Special
1st Place
George Hale
Rush to Kill: Update: Biden commutes 37 death sentences 

Radio Feature Story
1st Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Indiana University facing lawsuit after claims it tried to censor student newspaper

Radio Feature Story
2nd Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Ambulance systems straining to meet needs of Hoosiers

Radio In-Depth Reporting
2nd Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Be very, very quiet: IU's Elmer Fudd approach to transparency

Radio Sports Reporting
1st Place
Sara Wittmeyer
How one teen's project in 1947 led to a rare collection of sports broadcast recordings

Radio Public Affairs
3rd Place
WFIU/WTIU News
Noon Edition: Christian Nationalism in Indiana

TELEVISION DIVISION

Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting (Outside Indianapolis market)
2nd Place
Ethan Sandweiss
How the trade war with China hurts Indiana farmers

Coverage of Children's Issues (Outside Indianapolis market)
1st Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Retention law puts high stakes on third-grade reading test

Coverage of Children's Issues (Outside Indianapolis market)
2nd Place
Isabella Vesperini
On My Way Pre K cuts hinder childcare access, economy

Coverage of Government or Politics (Outside Indianapolis market)
1st Place
Clayton Baumgarth
Christian Nationalism: The role of faith in public life

Coverage of Government or Politics (Outside Indianapolis market)
2nd Place
Bente Bouthier
Hoosiers feel hunger pains with government shutdown, lapse in SNAP

Education Coverage (Outside Indianapolis market)
3rd Place
Ethan Sandweiss
IU Foundation, donors for minority scholarships reach uneasy peace

Environmental Reporting (Outside Indianapolis market)
1st Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Clash between ways of caring for forests includes governor

Medical or Science Reporting (Outside Indianapolis market)
3rd Place
Ethan Sandweiss
Ambulance systems straining to meet needs of Hoosiers

Sports Reporting (Outside Indianapolis market)
2nd Place
Isabella Vesperini
No limits: Para World Championships in India are next for Bloomington South sprinter

Sports Reporting (Outside Indianapolis market)
3rd Place
Isabella Vesperini
'Caitlin Clark effect' increases participation in girls' basketball leagues

General News or Sports Videography (Outside Indianapolis market)
1st Place
Saddam Abbas Al-Zubaidi
Legends of the Sky: Muncie's Massive Miniature Air Show (WTIU)

Features News Videography (Outside Indianapolis market)
1st Place
Saddam Abbas Al-Zubaidi
Sculpting Passion: The Creative Spirit of Eugene Boyd (WTIU)