"Broken Trust"
Recipient of the Best INVESTIGATIVE REPORT BY A TELEVISION STATION award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2023)
Tanya Eiserer, Mark Smith, Rick Rysso
Wfaa
Judge’s Comments:
The WFAA report on "Broken Trust" was exemplary. It is journalism at its finest.
The reporter took the viewer on a journey to a small Texas town and showed in well-sourced documentation how a trust company was being used to aid international drug smugglers.
The reporter revealed the conflict: why 1,000 planes were registered in the tiny town of Onalaska Texas--and the resolution: a detailed explanation of the laws and the resulting conviction of a trust company owner.
The story was well told, beginning with a local resident who was interviewed sitting on his front porch. This real-person depiction made the story more relatable to the viewer.
The story was creatively shot and well-edited. The support graphics helped explain the story in better detail.
This investigative report has a wide impact and shined a light on a problem that is no doubt taking place in other small towns across America.
Judge: Frank Volpicella
Judge’s Bio:
Frank Volpicella is a veteran journalist and TV news director who recently semi-retired after a 43-year career in TV news. Volpicella served as news director at stations in Atlanta, Austin, Tulsa, Lexington and Huntsville, Alabama. He was news director at KVUE in Austin for 16 years. During his time at KVUE the station won a Peabody award and a national Edward R. Murrow award for Overall Excellence.
Volpicella also worked as a reporter, producer, executive producer, special projects producer and managing editor at stations in Jacksonville, Florida, Oklahoma City and Tampa Florida.
He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism.
To see the award-winning television reporting from WFAA, visit the link below: