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‘Revealed,’ investigation by Scripps’ WTVF, receives one of journalism’s highest honors, the duPont-Columbia Award

Feb. 10, 2023 By Molly Miossi

NASHVILLE – “Revealed,” an investigation of Tennessee’s Capitol Hill by WTVF, Nashville’s CBS-affiliated local television station owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), has won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. The prestigious journalism award recognizes America’s best video and audio journalism.

Courtesy: dupontawards.org

The duPont Silver Baton was given to chief investigative reporter Phil Williams in a ceremony this week at Columbia University in New York City.

Additional members of the WTVF-NewsChannel 5 Investigates team that worked on “Revealed” include photojournalists Mike Rose, Bryan Staples and Bob Stinnett, and producer Kevin Wisniewski. Assistant news director Michelle Bonnett supervised the investigation. Sandy Boonstra is NewsChannel 5’s news director, and Lyn Plantinga is its general manager.

Beginning in February 2022 and continuing into 2023, the “Revealed” investigation shined a light on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill, giving viewers unprecedented insight into a legislative process where the state’s supermajority depends on well-financed special interests to maintain power and, in turn, often does the bidding of those special interests. As a result of WTVF’s investigation, the Tennessee statehouse has created a system to make amendments publicly available before votes.

The duPont judges described the “Revealed” investigation as “statehouse reporting at its absolute finest.”

“This investigation revealed a side of Tennessee’s Capitol Hill that the public never sees,” Williams said. “America needs more of this kind of watchdog journalism – especially at the statehouse level.”

The ongoing investigation has resulted in more than 50 individual stories and a one-hour documentary.

This is the fourth duPont-Columbia Award for Williams and the NewsChannel 5 Investigates team.

NewsChannel 5 was one of 16 winners, including just five local television stations from across the country, to receive a 2023 duPont Award.

 

Media contact: Michael Perry, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-259-4718, [email protected]

 

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 61 stations in 41 markets. The Scripps Networks reach nearly every American through national news outlets Court TV and Scripps News and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, ION Mystery, Laff and TrueReal. Scripps is the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”