North Country Public Radio’s assistant news director, Emily Russell. (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — The Radio Television Digital News Association announced earlier this month that North Country Public Radio’s Adirondack reporter Emily Russell won best “sports reporting” for small-market radio stations in the 2025 Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Russell was honored for her reporting on women’s mountain biking in a male-dominated sport. Her reporting was centered at the World Cup in Lake Placid in 2024.

The Murrows are among the most prestigious journalism awards among commercial and public broadcast and digital outlets across the United States.

“During a year of seemingly unending challenges to factual reporting and the business dynamics of our industry, the journalists responsible for these winning entries stood out as exemplifying the very best of our craft,” said RTDNA President and CEO Dan Shelley. “I and all of us at RTDNA are proud of them for their extraordinary service to their communities, their nations and the world.”

The Murrow Awards are the embodiment of the values, principles and standards set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism. Murrow Award-winning stories put public interest above all else, provide a catalyst for public discussion and adhere to the RTDNA Code of Ethics.

“Emily has won this award several times — we joke around here that she ‘owns’ the sports reporting category,” said NCPR News Director David Sommerstein. “This award is a tribute to her hard work and her dynamic ability to see the bigger picture in a sporting event and hone in on the human emotions and achievement. Her work makes sporting events resonate with all of us.”

Earlier this year, NCPR’s news team won nine Regional Edward R. Murrow awards.