School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater (‘09) won Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards for her work on the WVLT News Original Documentary, A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance
School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater (‘09) isn’t sure what made her take author Keel Hunt’s book on vacation that day.
Titled Coup: The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor, Put Republican Lamar Alexander in Office Early, and Stopped a Pardon Scandal, Hunt’s book captured the behind-the-scenes story of how Tennessee Democrats and Republicans banded together to remove former Gov. Ray Blanton from power after he became embroiled in a clemency for cash scandal in the late 1970s.
Tarwater had read the book before and enjoyed it. However, this time was different. She thought these events would make a good story.
This would ultimately lead to the development of the WVLT News Original Documentary, A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance, which recently won three National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards.
“It truly was a team effort and a team celebration at the end,” Tarwater said, adding the region the station is located in is very competitive, so it is wonderful to see reporting at a small Knoxville station can not only compete, but win.
Tarwater won an individual Midsouth Regional Emmy® Award for the documentary in the long form content writer category.
She also won an Emmy® Award alongside WVLT colleagues in the documentary/historical category. Celebrating this Emmy® Award with Tarwater are: Cole Ryg, Scott Wilk, Kelly Ann Krueger, Camruinn Morga-Rumsey (‘21), and William Puckett.
The third Emmy® Award was in the news promotion image category; Tarwater and Ryg were credited.
‘One door led to another’
Tarwater contacted Hunt about doing a story after reading the book. At that time, she envisioned doing a 90-second news segment.
But the more she learned, the deeper she felt compelled to go. She began reaching out to more key individuals knowledgeable about this peculiar time in Tennessee politics.
“I thought ‘You know what, I am going to reach for the stars here.’ and reached out to Lamar Alexander for an interview. He said yes. Then Hal Hardin said yes. Then Marie Ragghianti said yes. Then Jack Lowery said yes. It was truly just one door led to another,” Tarwater said.
Her short news segment quickly evolved into a much longer story and Tarwater is grateful WVLT generously gave her and others the time and resources needed to tell this story.
Tarwater said it took years to complete the segment from when she first pitched the idea to its airing. Along with several interviews, working on this story involved rummaging through archives, submitting freedom of information act requests, and more.
But it was all worth it once the story was completed.
Tarwater said she was not sure what to expect when it finally aired. Then she started to see comments online, receive phone calls, letters and visits at the station from viewers all sharing stories about where they were and what they were doing when Blanton’s story dominated the local news cycle.
“The people’s interest and investment in the story, it’s just been so fulfilling,” Tarwater said. “I’ve never been a part of anything like it.”
As a journalist, Tarwater said it was amazing to also learn about women such as Carol Marin, whose reporting helped bring attention and accountability to such an important issue. While she is not one to typically use her own work as examples in class, she hopes students and others who watch the documentary take away the need for and power good local journalism can have in a community.
“The response has really proven to me that people are paying attention,” Tarwater said. “People want good journalism and it’s our responsibility to give it to them.”
The WVLT News Original Documentary, A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance, recently won three National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards.