ABC15 wins prestigious Peabody Award for ‘Full Disclosure’ series

The ABC15 Investigators have won a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for the station’s in-depth investigative series Full Disclosure.

The Peabody Awards honor excellence in broadcast and digital storytelling.

Each year, jurors select 30 winners from various categories, including entertainment, podcasts, documentaries, and news.

“From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice and equality,” according to the Peabody Awards’ website.

In Full Disclosure, ABC15 exposed widespread and systemic problems with Arizona’s so-called “Brady” lists, which are supposed to track police officers with documented histories of dishonesty, false arrests, crimes, and integrity concerns.

The series included more than two dozens reports plus a pair of documentary specials. The reporting proved state law enforcement agencies routinely failed to track problematic officers, disclose their misconduct, and hold them accountable.

For the first time anywhere, ABC15 also compiled and published a statewide database of “Brady” list officers.

“I am incredibly proud that Dave Biscobing and the ABC15 Investigators not only exposed the systemic problem but took steps to help fix it by creating a searchable database of officers who have been cited,” said Anita Helt, ABC15 vice-president and general manager. “We are honored that the Peabody committee recognized the courage and dedication of our journalists who work every day to serve the people of Arizona.”

This year’s honor is ABC15’s third Peabody Award. The station previously won for its investigative reporting in 2012 and 2007.

Full Disclosure was also recently honored with a National Headliner Award and an IRE Award, an annual contest by the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization to recognize the best investigative reporting across the country.