“Losing Ground,” the groundbreaking examination of coastal loss coastal that we published last year with ProPublica, has received a national Edward R. Murrow Award.

Earlier this year, the project received a regional Murrow.

The awards are given by the Radio Television Digital News Association, which recognizes excellence across the country by radio, television and online news outlets. “Losing Ground” was recognized for its use of audio among small online news organizations.

The project combined explanatory reporting, photography, aerial and satellite imagery showing how the Gulf of Mexico had swallowed much of Southeast Louisiana over the last 80 years, and audio stories from people who had seen the land around them disappear.

A three-person team did most of the work: The Lens’ Bob Marshall reported and wrote the stories and recorded audio. Al Shaw and Brian Jacobs of ProPublica created the web presentation and designed the eye-popping interactive graphics.

In a follow-up story, “Louisiana’s Moon Shot,” The Lens and ProPublica examined the state’s ambitious plan to rebuild the coast. Again, we used aerial imagery to show how land was being created in a few areas.

“Losing Ground” has received several national and international awards:

The project was also a finalist for data visualization of the year from the Global Editors Network and for the multimedia, interactive graphics and animation category of the Deadline Club Awards.

This is the second Murrow award that The Lens has received in four years. The other one was for our text and radio story about one homeowner’s unsuccessful six-year struggle to get back into her Katrina-damaged house.

WVUE-TV received three Murrows today:

  • For its 10 p.m. newscast
  • For “Louisiana Purchased,” its investigation of campaign-finance in Louisiana
  • For “Holding Officials Accountable,” its news series about questionable public spending by elected officials and public employees

Steve Myers was editor of The Lens. Before joining the staff in 2012, Myers was managing editor of Poynter Online, the preeminent source of news and training about the journalism industry. At Poynter,...