Under the Influence

A five-month long investigation of the conduct of the Tennessee General Assembly earned a Peabody for WKRN in Nashville. In January 1993, Channel 2 News began its investigation of the lobbyists and lawmakers. This investigation, led by executive producer and reporter Tom Atwood, with writers and reporters Stuart Watson, Phil Williams and Anne Holt, linked key legislative votes to special interest contributions and exposed the cozy relationship between lobbyists and elected officials. Researching candidate and lobbyist disclosure reports and chronicling the winning and dining of legislators resulted in 53 individual news reports, and culminated in the documentary, Under the Influence. As a result of Under the Influence, ethics reform legislation has been introduced in the 1994 Tennessee state legislature. For superlative investigation reporting in Under the Influence, ethics reform legislation has been introduced in the 1994 Tennessee state legislature. For superlative investigative reporting in Under the Influence, a Peabody to WKRN-TV, Nashville.