Honor and Betrayal: Scandal at the Academy
KMGH-TV, Denver, Colo.
Denver television station KMGH’s 7NEWS delivered a scathing report on sexual abuse of female cadets, which resulted in the removal of the entire United States Air Force Academy’s leadership, national media follow-up and, more important, prompted a broad review of similar military facilities where female cadets serve.
60 Minutes: All In the Family
CBS News, New York
This report uncovers relationships between government officials and defense contractors, which led to military decisions replete with conflict of interest and abuses of power.
A Question of Fairness
NBC News, New York
An in-depth Tom Brokaw report on the controversy surrounding the University of Michigan and its affirmative action policy, which details the continuing struggle to deal with race, fairness and higher education in America.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Jobless Recovery: Non-Working Numbers
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, presented on PBS
Correspondent Paul Solman gives easy-to-understand explanations of complicated economic issues with clarity, humor and a laudable investigative spirit.
War Photographer
Christian Frei Filmproductions, HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films, Swiss National Television, Suisseimage, presented on HBO
Through the work of famed photographer James Nachtwey, this documentary explores the moral dilemmas of journalism, particularly the issues of how and when should the observer become a participant in the most horrific events of our time.
The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene
NOVA/WGBH (Boston) and Channel 4, presented on PBS
This production makes accessible one of the most complicated and controversial theories in science – the string theory. Using engaging animation, special effects, photography and a complementary Web site, “The Elegant Universe” examines the very basis of existence.
Flag Wars
P.O.V./American Documentary Inc., in association with Independent Television Services (ITVS), Zula Pearl Films and National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), presented on PBS
Challenging and elegiac, this account examines the conflicts between cultures and classes in Columbus, Ohio, offering a close-up portrait of clashes between privilege, poverty and politics.
Two Towns of Jasper
P.O.V./American Documentary Inc., in association with Independent Television Service (ITVS) and National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), presented on PBS
A troubling story of a modern-day lynching that forever changed a town and shook the nation is seen though the eyes of two film crews: one black and one white.
Chavez: Inside the Coup
ZDF German TV in association with the Irish Film Board
Behind-the-scenes camera crews captured the events leading to the overthrow of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez – and his return to power 48 hours later.
Sisters in Pain
WEKU-FM, Down to Earth Productions
This radio documentary tells the story of incarcerated women who find support for their struggles among prison staff, public defenders and a governor who granted them a rare and unusual clemency.
To Live Is Better Than to Die
Weijun Chen, HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films, TV2 Denmark, presented on Cinemax
Daily details of the bleak struggle of three children and their parents against the AIDS epidemic in rural China are captured in this moving documentary, reminding audiences again of the devastating global effects of the virus.
Know HIV/AIDS and Fight for Your Rights: Protect Yourself Campaigns
Viacom/MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation
A comprehensive global media campaign that includes public service announcements, broadcast and cable television programming and print and online resources designed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, and how to avoid infection.
Students Rising Above
KRON-TV, San Francisco, Calif.
Alerted by a series of news features on the plight of the poor in the Bay area, KRON viewers donated more than $2.3 million to help pay college tuition for students living in poverty.
Medicaid Dental Centers Investigation
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C.
WCNC spent six months uncovering a Medicaid scam in which a group of dentists performed unnecessary procedures on innocent children. Shocking video aroused the concern of viewers and the authorities.
FRONTLINE: A Dangerous Business
WGBH/Frontline, The New York Times and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, presented on PBS
This collaboration exposes one of the most dangerous manufacturing companies in America, filming in factories where workers were continually injured despite repeated warnings and penalties.
Great Performances: Degas and the Dance
Thirteen/WNET (New York), presented on PBS
A beautiful documentary that draws viewers into the life and work of the French Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas, and his portrayals of the Paris Opera and its dancers.
American Mavericks
KSJN-FM/Minnesota Public Radio
This comprehensive 13-part radio series hosted by singer Suzanne Vega, recounts the evolution of distinct American classical music though the personal perspectives of those who were involved. An interactive website provides context for this introduction to iconoclastic American music.
Mother Flew Away As a Kite
TV Asahi Corporation
An arresting tale in animation form, this story reminds us of the horrors of war … and also of the hope for a better time without war.
Soldier’s Girl
Showtime
This dramatization of a true story, told with compassion and presented with an array of outstanding performances, portrays an unlikely romance and its tragic consequences.
Transom.org
Atlantic Public Media
This online resource is the recipient of the first Peabody awarded exclusively to a Web site. Transom.org provides clear guidance – both technical and conceptual – on how to create original radio productions. The site also makes those productions available to audiences through webcasts, bringing new voices into the media mix.
The Murder of Emmett Till
American Experience/WGBH (Boston), presented on PBS
A well researched film that documents the racially motivated killing of Emmett Till and explores how this act mobilized the civil rights movement. It was produced with the assistance of Emmett Till’s mother, Mrs. Mamie Till Mobley, who died shortly before the film was presented to a national audience.
Hoxie: The First Stand
University of Memphis, Memphis, Tenn., presented on PBS
The story of a small Arkansas town that decided to integrate its public schools in 1954 in the face of fierce and sometimes violent opposition. The citizens’ commitment drew the U.S. Justice Department into the fight for desegregation and racial justice.
Evidence of Errors
KHOU-TV, Houston, Texas
A series of reports by KHOU exposes potential errors by the Houston Police Department’s crime lab, which could have resulted in the conviction of many innocent people. The lab was closed and one wrongly accused inmate was exonerated, in part as a result of this report.
Building Homes: Building Problems
WESH-TV, Winter Park, Fla.
A year-long investigation by the station and students from the University of Central Florida provides the first statistically valid assessment of shoddy new-home construction in Florida. With the help of the Orlando Sentinel, WESH found and documented flaws in the state bureaucracy responsible for regulating home construction.
Israel’s Secret Weapon
BBC2
The report exposes Israel’s secret project to develop and manufacture nuclear weapons in a tinderbox region of the world. This important program contributes vital information to the ongoing exploration of a crucial issue in international relations.
Dora the Explorer
MTV Networks/Nickelodeon
Knights, dragons and talking drawbridges are a few of the appealing devices used in this inventive series to teach Spanish phrases to its young audience, and in doing so emphasize the importance of multilingual education.
The Wire
HBO
Probing the full range of human behavior, “The Wire” has the depth and intensity of a complex novel. Both cops and criminals face dilemmas where boundaries of right and wrong, honesty and dishonesty are continually blurred.
The Office
BBC America
With no predictable jokes, no easy punch lines, no laugh track and no known stars, “The Office” nevertheless often makes the audience laugh aloud. Its quirky and oh-so-real characters and situations set in an oh-so-ordinary British business office are sometimes as poignant as they are comic.
Bill Moyers
For his many contributions to high quality, informative and innovative public affairs television, an Individual Peabody Award is presented to Bill Moyers. Among his best-known programs (some of which have won Peabodys) are “A Walk Through the 20th Century,” “Bill Moyers’ World of Ideas,” “Facing the Truth with Bill Moyers,” “The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell,” culminating in “NOW with Bill Moyers” and this year, “Becoming American: The Chinese Experience.”
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