Arlington, VA (February 17, 2025)—Long Island University today announced that “Haiti in Crisis,” PBS News Hour’s coverage of the brutal gang violence in Haiti, has received a George Polk Award for Foreign Television Reporting. The award-winning News Hour team is comprised of special correspondent Marcia Biggs, videographer Eric O’Connor and producer André Paultre.
“Marcia, Eric and André demonstrate the courage, empathy and determination that is essential to the critical job of shining a light on the reality and the suffering in a place like Haiti,” said PBS News senior executive producer Sara Just. “The PBS News Hour is committed to telling such necessary stories. We are so grateful to the judges for honoring this team, along with senior foreign producer Morgan Till and his team for this difficult work.”
John Darnton, curator of the awards, said of the recipients: “Given the range and depth of exceptional reporting before us, winnowing the list to these 15 meant making some very hard calls. These winners represent the best of the best.”
The awards will be presented at a ceremony on April 4, 2025, at Cipriani in New York City. The George Polk Awards are administered by Long Island University.
More on PBS News Hour’s “Haiti in Crisis” coverage:
As Haiti continues to descend into chaos with the nearly total takeover of the country by various street gangs, special correspondent Marcia Biggs traveled to Port-au-Prince in the fall of 2024. On the ground, she spoke to many Haitians who have endured unspeakable acts of violence by different gangs. The collective trauma of the country is evident in Bigg’s reporting; however, she handles personal stories of boys being recruited as soldiers and girls experiencing rampant sexual violence with compassion. While navigating serious security concerns and limited access to certain areas, the News Hour team provided viewers with a nuanced look at the dire conditions in Haiti from Haitians themselves.
The winning reports include:
An inside look at how gang warfare in Haiti has devastated daily life
Boys forced into gangs, girls face sexual abuse as Haiti violence robs childhoods
Media contact: Ella Richardson, erichardson (at) newshour (dot) org
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