NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 9, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- WTVF, a Nashville-based local television station owned
by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), has won a Peabody Award
for its 2023 investigation that exposed Franklin, Tennessee, mayoral candidate
Gabrielle Hanson's white supremacist
ties and other questions about her background during last fall's
elections.
In a series of over 20 reports, WTVF Chief Investigative
Reporter Phil Williams and the
NewsChannel 5 Investigates team probed Hanson's ties to white
supremacists, her arrest history for promoting
prostitution and her social media photo of a group of women
she claimed to be her supporters but who later denied that claim
and denounced her, among other inconsistencies and unusual
revelations.
"In Franklin, Tennessee, an
affluent suburb of Nashville,
mediagenic alderwoman Gabrielle
Hanson entered the 2023 mayor's race against a popular
Republican incumbent, running on a far-right platform of Christian
nationalism and opposition to LGBTQ rights," the Peabody judges
wrote. "But when investigative reporter Phil Williams of WTVF-NewsChannel 5 started
following Hanson's campaign, he uncovered a trail of hypocrisy and
deceit, full of doctored social media posts, a job running a
prostitution service under a different name, lies to police and
carpetbagging."
Chosen each year by a diverse board of jurors through unanimous
vote, Peabody Awards are given in the categories of entertainment,
documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children's and youth and
public service programming. The annual Peabody winners are a
collection of stories that "powerfully reflect the pressing social
issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day."
This is Williams' fourth Peabody Award and the third for
WTVF.
"The NewsChannel 5 Investigates team, led by the determined
Phil Williams, perfectly
demonstrates what journalism can do for a local community," said
Lyn Plantinga, Scripps vice
president and regional general manager. "Our team asked hard
questions of public officials on behalf of local voters, giving
them critical information that likely would have remained
uncovered."
"The Nashville team's
persistent local reporting is an example of true watchdog
journalism, and Scripps is proud of their commitment to bringing
truth to light," Scripps President of News Kate O'Brian said.
Williams, who has spent more than 25 years at WTVF, was recently
awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio and
Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for his ongoing work to
expose corruption in Tennessee
government and politics. Williams is also the 2023 recipient of the
prestigious John Chancellor Award
for Excellence in Journalism and is the only TV journalist to ever
receive a coveted Toner Prize for political reporting.
This year's Peabody winners will be celebrated at a ceremony at
the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los
Angeles on Sunday, June 9.
Media contact: Becca
McCarter, The E.W. Scripps Company, (513) 410-2425,
rebecca.mccarter@scripps.com
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media
company focused on creating a better-informed world. As one of the
nation's largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities
with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio
of more than 60 stations in 40+ markets. Scripps reaches households
across the U.S. with national news outlets Scripps News and Court
TV and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, ION
Mystery and Laff. Scripps is the nation's largest holder of
broadcast spectrum. Scripps is the longtime steward of the Scripps
National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps' long-time motto
is: "Give light and the people will find their own way."
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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company