KXAS Dallas-Fort Worth and WTVF Nashville have won 2024 Peabody Awards. Given out by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 34 winners were named. They represent “the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media” in 2023.
HBO/Max got seven Peabodys, PBS picked up five, Amazon MGM Studios got three, and The Washington Post and FX picked up two apiece.
Part of NBCUniversal, KXAS won for the report “Against All Enemies,” about a group called the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) that the station said has been quietly radicalizing law enforcement agents across Texas by advocating one key tenet: sheriffs, they say, owing their direct allegiance to the Constitution, have a power that supersedes that of federal agencies, including the FBI and even the president of the United States.
“As this months-long reporting makes clear, these fringe ideas had infiltrated Texas’ official state training sessions, a terrifying finding given CSPOA’s ties to the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers,” the Peabody board of jurors said.
“We’re dedicated to serving North Texas by uncovering vital stories that impact our communities and delivering journalism that serves the public interest,” said John Stone, VP of news at KXAS, known as NBC 5, and KXTX, known as Telemundo 39. “It’s a tremendous honor for our team to be recognized with a prestigious Peabody Award and the other accolades the series has earned.”
WTVF, owned by E.W. Scripps, won for “Hate Comes to Main Street,” about an alderwoman who ran for mayor in 2023 in a Nashville suburb, running on a far-right platform of Christian nationalism and opposition to LGBTQ rights. But when investigative reporter Phil Williams started following Gabrielle 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,” according to Peabody.
“The NewsChannel 5 Investigates team, led by the determined Phil Williams, perfectly illustrates what journalism can do for a local community,” said Kate O’Brian, president of news for E.W. Scripps.
Kumail Nanjiani will host the Peabody Awards June 9 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. All winners can be seen here.
“Whether courageously documenting wars across the globe or cleverly bringing much needed smiles to our faces, the winners of the 84th Peabody Awards each crafted compelling and imaginative stories,” Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, said. “Spanning a wide range of mediums and genres, they delivered enthralling projects that are worthy of our highest recognition.”
