WASHINGTON, D.C. — The RTDNA Foundation has announced the recipients of the 33rd annual First Amendment Award, and one of the honorees is NewsChannel 5's Phil Williams.
The award recognizes the efforts made to promote responsible journalism and preserve constitutionally guaranteed rights to do that.
“The First Amendment Awards gives us all a chance to pause and reflect on the brave and brilliant work done in the name of journalism,” said RTDNA Foundation Chair Allison McGinley. “It is a true honor to get a chance to recognize these outstanding recipients.”
Five individuals and organizations will be among those honored on March 9 at The Watergate Hotel.
Winners include:
- Lauren Chooljian, New Hampshire Public Radio
- ProPublica
- Rep. Jamie Raskin
- Clarissa Ward, CNN
- and our very own Phil Williams.
The RTDNA Foundation states that Williams was selected "because his career as an investigative reporter has served as a model for what great journalism can do in a community. His reporting has uncovered corruption in the Tennessee government and numerous political scandals and has helped drive national conversations on important issues."
Serving as chief investigative reporter for NewsChannel 5's nationally award-winning investigative team, Williams has set the standard for investigative journalism on the state and local level. Last year he became the 2023 recipient of the prestigious John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism.
He is the only TV journalist to ever receive a coveted Toner Prize for political reporting and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service at the start of his print career.
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
