MEMBER CENTER
The Fourth Estate Award from the Tennessee Bar Association honors courageous reporting on justice and the law. Tennessee-based journalists who have shown exemplary courage in exercising First Amendment rights in the promotion of public understanding of the Rule of Law and how our legal system works or should work will be considered. Such a journalist could be from the world of newspapers, TV or radio, digital media, book publishing, podcasting or social media. Winners receive a $250 honorarium.
Award Recipients
2018: WSMV News 4 I-Team was recognized for a series of investigative reports into misconduct by former Judge Casey Moreland
2019: Steven Hale of the Nashville Scene was recognized for coverage of three state executions and capital punishment more generally in Tennessee.
2020: The Bristol Herald Courier was recognized for "Critical Mass," which examined the jail overcrowding problems in Sullivan County
2021: Marc Perrusquia, Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis, was recognized for his reporting on complaints of excessive use of force by the Memphis Police Department
2022: Kingsport Times News was recognized for its extensive coverage of the opioid crisis and its effects on the Appalachian Highlands, highlighted by its “Meth Mountain” series.
2023: Elk Valley Times writers Lora Scripps and Wanda Southerland were recognized for their reporting on the Lincoln County mayor’s decision to exclude Jack Daniels from certain planning and zoning requirements while residents expressed concern about “whiskey fungus” created by unregulated barrel houses.
2024: Nashville Public Radio reporter and producer Meribah Knight was recognized for her podcast series “The Kids of Rutherford County,” which brought to light abuses in the juvenile court system in Rutherford County.