Winner 1989

Did They Die in Vain?

WLOX-TV

The recent anniversary of the tragic events of 1964 when three civil rights workers were killed in Neshoba County has brought back into focus the people of the state of Mississippi. By exploring the continuing wound that these events represent, WLOX-TV was, at once, trying to exorcise some ghosts of the past and ascertain what people’s attitudes are in the Mississippi of the present. Interviews with the principals as well as discussions with others have created a powerful study of changes in the state both as a result of the incidents of 1964 and the changes that have occurred in the New South. By examining the questions and forcing people to relive the events, Did They Die in Vain? has provided a vehicle for self-examination, healing, and perspective for the people of Mississippi and for people all over the country. For exemplary sensitivity and service, a Peabody Award to WLOX-TV, Biloxi, Mississippi for Did They Die in Vain?