"PRI's The World" Wins Overseas Press Club Award for its "Rationing Health" Series

MINNEAPOLIS, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Public Radio International (PRI) is pleased to announce that journalists from its daily international news program, "PRI's The World," have received the Overseas Press Club's Lowell Thomas Award, which honors the year's best radio news and interpretation of international affairs. Freelance journalist Sheri Fink with The World's Health and Science Editor, David Baron and The World's Patrick Cox were honored April 28 at the Awards in New York for their series of reports, "Rationing Health: Who Lives? Who Decides?" The stories, reported from South Africa, Great Britain, Zambia and India provided American listeners with real-world examples of how other nations handle – or mishandle – the challenges of distributing scarce health care resources.

Of the award, David Baron noted, "Every day on The World, we try to make international news relevant to our listeners by showing how events overseas are connected to life in America.  That's what we aimed to do with this series -- to provide some lessons for the U.S. at a time of tumult in our health care system.  We're thrilled that the series has been recognized by the Overseas Press Club."

This year's win marks the fourth time PRI's The World has received the OPC's top radio award.

About Public Radio International

Celebrated as a driver of innovation in public media, PRI was founded in 1983 to diversify and expand the content available on public platforms, enabling U.S. listeners to "hear a different voice™" and to connect with one another and the larger world. PRI leads by identifying critical but unmet content needs and partnering with producers, stations, digital networks and funders to develop multi-platform resources to meet those needs. By creating an environment in which innovation can thrive, PRI supports the creation and distribution of content that would otherwise be unavailable and that brings new voices, global journalism and cultural perspectives to the American public. PRI content is available on pri.org and via podcasts, and is broadcast on broadcast on 837 public radio stations. More than 13 million people access PRI content each week through these sources.

PRI's newest production is "The Takeaway," a groundbreaking morning-drive news show co-produced with WNYC Radio. Its best known programming includes "This American Life," produced by Chicago Public Radio; "PRI's The World," a co-production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Radio Boston; "Living on Earth," produced by World Media Foundation Inc.; "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?," produced by Wisconsin Public Radio; "The Tavis Smiley Show," produced by Smiley Radio Properties Inc.; and "Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC®," produced by PRI and WNYC; as well as 24-hour program services — "Classical 24®," produced by American Public Media; and BBC World Service, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. For more information, visit www.pri.org.

SOURCE Public Radio International