KHOU Investigates: "City Crew Picks Up Garbage with Recyclables"

Recipient of the BEST TELEVISION INVESTIGATIVE REPORT award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2019)

KHOU-TV, Houston

Judge’s Comments:

This series of stories provides clear evidence that a tenacious reporter and his team, along with the support of a committed station leadership, can provide the critical oversight of local government that our communities will always need. KHOU’s dogged five-month investigation into the handling of recyclables in Houston revealed that more than 2.6 million pounds of recycled waste had actually been dumped straight into the city’s landfill. Residents who had been doing their part to reduce waste were understandably outraged and KHOU’s work resulted in disciplinary action for 68 city employees. Of particular note in this investigation was the creative use of video evidence, explanatory graphics, and public records. Can’t wait for the follow-up to see if the city’s promises to clean up its own miss will be kept.

Dr. Debora Rae Wenger
Assistant Dean and Professor
University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media

Judge’s Bio:

Deb Wenger, a 17-year broadcast news veteran, is an assistant dean and professor who oversees undergraduate studies in journalism at the University of Mississippi.  Prior to her academic appointments, Wenger worked as a reporter, producer and newsroom manager within multiple TV stations, including WFLA (Tampa, FL), WSOC (Charlotte, NC) and WMUR (Manchester, NH).

Wenger conducts multimedia workshops in newsrooms around the country and is a trainer for SPJ in association with its Google News Initiative program. She is also co-author of two books, Advancing the Story: Journalism in a Digital World and Managing Today’s News Media: Audience First.

What she’s learning about journalism and new media can be found at www.advancingthestory.com.  Wenger received her Ph.D. from Kingston University in London and was named as a top journalism educator by NewsPro magazine in 2017.

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