April 6, 2021
NEW YORK (April 6, 2021) — Bloomberg Green has won the Overseas Press Club‘s Morton Frank Award for “Blood River,” an audio series following a four-year quest to solve the murder of an environmental activist who led a protest movement against a proposed hydroelectric dam in Honduras. The Morton Frank Award recognizes the best international business news reporting in TV, video, radio, audio or podcasts.
The award goes to Bloomberg’s Monte Reel, who reported and hosted the series and Topher Forhecz, who produced it. The first episode of “Blood River” debuted in July 2020. Bloomberg Green also published a feature story by Reel that accompanied the series.
The OPC judges wrote, “Through dramatic storytelling and deep reporting into the murder of an environmental activist in the Honduras, Bloomberg Green reveals (in a 7-part audio series) how corrupt corporate and government forces will do anything to get an international development project launched in that country.”
Bloomberg also received two runner-up citations:
Alan Jeffries, Austin Carr, Michael Smith and Jordan Oplinger earned a Morton Frank citation for the Bloomberg Businessweek video “Inside Carnival’s Coronavirus Nightmare.”
Bloomberg’s Cam Simpson, Michael Smith and Nacha Cattan received a Malcom Forbes citation for investigative stories revealing how U.S. chemical companies fuel the narco labs flooding the U.S. with deadly drugs. The Malcolm Forbes citation recognizes international business news reporting in newspapers, news services, magazines or digital.
The 82nd Annual OPC Awards will take place on Oct. 22; details will be announced at a later date.
View the full list of winners here.