Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra has received the 2023 Hillman Prize Award for Broadcast Journalism. The victory marks the first time a podcast has won the honor.
The podcast — written, produced, and hosted by Maddow — is an eight-episode non-fiction series set in World War II-era America. It chronicles lawmakers who spread disinformation to aid insurrectionists, while also profiling the journalists who tried to counter the plot.
After launching in October of last year, the film rights for the podcast were purchased by Steven Spielberg’s production company.
“I think all of us are deeply cognizant of the fact that it takes trust and a certain tolerance for risk on the part of our employers to let us chase these things and that’s hard, no matter what part of the business, so I feel thankful for the freedom to do this,” Maddow said while accepting the award earlier this week.
Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good. The Hillman Prizes recognize a significant news story, resourcefulness and courage in reporting, skill in relating the story, and the impact of the coverage.
