The Peavy Investigation

Maintaining a commitment to thorough investigation in the face of unprecedented competitive pressure is a formidable challenge facing local television news operations. Robert Riggs, WFAA-TV reporter and executive producer, and his outstanding team of executive news director John Miller, researcher P.J. Ward and photographers Jesus Hernandez and Percy Powers, met that challenge with a revealing series of reports into insurance purchases involving the Dallas Independent School District. The investigation centered on the chairman of the Board of Education’s Committee on Insurance, who was responsible for directing more than $30 million of insurance purchases. For six months, the WFAA-TV team relentlessly exposed the dealings of the Insurance Committee, prompting a federal grand jury investigation into the matter. For investigative reporting that serves the interests of the television viewers in its community, a Peabody to WFAA-TV for The Peavy Investigation.