WFAA8 getting first local station Gold Baton at duPont-Columbia awards ceremony

By ED BARK
WFAA8 and investigative reporters Brett Shipp and Byron Harris will make history by winning a Gold Baton at a Jan. 22nd Alfred I. duPont-Columbia awards ceremony hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

As noted in November on unclebarky.com, Shipp is being cited for stories on high school grade-fixing and faulty gas couplings while Harris is being honored for his reports on millions of dollars in fraudulent loans tied to the obscure Export-Import Bank.

The big difference is that duPont jurors are folding those awards into a single Gold Baton for WFAA8 rather than three silvers. It's the first time a local station has won the gold since the award was instituted 20 years ago. WFAA8 will be joining 12 other recipients of the Silver Baton at this month's ceremony. Winners were officially announced Monday.