Why This Matters The Peabody-winning investigations exemplify local TV's best efforts in holding community leaders accountable.
When the 2017 Peabody awards are formally distributed May 20 in New York, local TV journalists from stations in Indianapolis and the San Francisco area will be there with the night's big-name honorees, taking home three of the five awards in the news division.
Two of those awards will go to investigative teams at Dispatch Broadcast Group's NBC affiliate WTHR - Bob Segall, who will receive his fifth Peabody for exposing travesties at a charity rescue mission, and Sandra Chapman, who found a state agency's failure to do its job resulted in contaminated groundwater in residential areas.
Bigad Shaban, a reporter at NBC O&O KNTV, which serves the San Francisco Bay Area, is also being honored for his investigation into school districts' reliance on police officers for student discipline - and why some kids (predominately minority and disabled) wind up with arrest records, while others experience little or no repercussions for similar minor infractions.
All of which puts local TV in a pretty good place, especially since the news category's other two winners are national news outlets - CNN, which is being honored for its reporting from the Middle East, and CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, whose reporter Jim Axelrod showed the government and industry's role in the West Virginia opioid crisis.
Here's a look at what local TV's Peabody-winning contingent did - and how they did it:
Charity Caught on Camera, WTHR Indianapolis
When Bob Segall first got tipped to improprieties at an Indiana homeless shelter, the transgressions were so astonishing, and supposedly committed by some of the community's most well-respected clergy, it was hard to believe they were true. The Grant County Rescue Mission in Marion was unsafe for its residents, the community members who tipped Segall said; donated food was going to mission leaders' friends and family instead of the people for whom it was intended.
Even harder for Segall, one of the country's top TV investigators, and veteran photographer Bill Ditton to fathom: How in the world would we possibly be able to prove it?
Over the next three months, however, Segall and Ditton saw for themselves the charity leaders in action. With the help of wonderful sources who connected Segall and mission residents, he found the allegations were indeed spot on.
Ditton's hidden video captured the goings-on, giving Segall the proof he needed to confront mission leadership, go public with the situation - and ultimately push for change.
We were simply able to be in the right place at the right time on the right day over and over and over again, Segall said. This story was a combination of trust, and perseverance and a lot of luck.
The story has reaped results. Community members, many of whom were mission donors, boycotted the agency after leaders downplayed their actions and vowed to stay on. The majority of board members have since resigned.
Segall and Ditton plan to return to Marionto read the mission's audited financial reports. To say this is an ongoing investigation would be accurate, Segall said. We feel we still have a way to go to make sure the thousands of people who donated to this charity get some closure on where their donations went.
Dangerous Exposure, WTHR Indianapolis
In Indiana, there's a state-sponsored program, the Voluntary Remediation Program, that gives companies tied to toxic sites 180 days to devise a clean-up plan - presumably to implement it - and, in return, they can't be sued for contaminating the area.
But WTHR investigative reporter Sandra Chapman found that the state agency in charge wasn't doing its job, allowing some violators to go years before filing a plan - or not file at all - putting area families at risk.
What we found was pretty amazing, said Chapman, who acted on a tip from an environmentalist. One in five of participating companies - which ranged from dry cleaners to manufacturers - had been in the program for 10 years without taking action, or facing consequences. One company had spent 17 years in the program, without being subject to any action, she said.
Chapman found the Indiana Department of Environmental Management knew about noncompliance - and in some cases did expel companies from the program.
Yet those violators, Chapman said, suffered no consequences for failing to clean up their contamination. We found that our top environmental enforcement agency was not enforcing the law to be able to keep these private homeowners and their families safe as well as the water systems, the soil and the ground.
The sad part is that the folks who live near these sites had no idea the toxins were already under their homes, Chapman said.
Although regulators dodged Chapman for months, a state representative ultimately admitted to losing track of the sites, and that changes in the program were warranted.
Since the report, the agency now warns non-compliers sooner, and will pursue the issue in court if need be, Chapman said.
These companies were hiding out in the program and doing nothing with no consequences, Chapman said. Hopefully those days are done.
Arrested at School: Criminalizing Classroom Misbehavior, KNTV San Francisco Bay Area
Investigative reporter Bigad Shaban and producer Michael Bott were just nerdy reporters poring over national data tracking school suspension rates - they had no particular reason for doing so - when they were struck by the number of student cases referred to law enforcement. We assumed it was for kids who had brought weapons to school or harmed a teacher, Shaban said.
But they were wrong. After talking to educational and advocacy groups, he and Bott learned that, in many ca
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Why This Matters The Peabody-winning investigations exemplify local TV's best efforts in holding community leaders accountable.
