NBC 5 Wins 2023 duPont-Columbia Award for Investigative Series ‘Paper Tag Nation'

The prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards recognized NBC 5 Investigates for “Paper Tag Nation” an eye-opening series of reports exposing how security gaps at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) allowed criminals to obtain car dealer licenses and then sell hundreds of thousands of fraudulent temporary license plates, some of which were used on cars involved in other serious crimes.

The NBC 5 Investigates team, led by Senior Investigative Reporter Scott Friedman and Senior Investigative Producer Eva Parks, relentlessly pursued the story for more than 12 months, filing more than 40 reports, digging deep to reveal the far-reaching impact of fraudulent Texas paper tags and the threat they pose to the public and police. The team used the DMV’s own records to show how licensed “dealers,” in some cases with no storefront, were issuing massive numbers of temporary plates which police said were then sold on the black market. The reporting revealed how fraudulent tags are sometimes placed on vehicles used in violent crimes and cross-border smuggling to conceal the vehicles’ true ownership from law enforcement authorities.

The reporting helped spark changes, including a change in DMV leadership, a new background check system for Texas auto dealers, the suspension of dozens of dealer licenses, and ongoing legislative hearings to address the widespread fraud.

Senior Investigative Reporter @ScottNBC5 accepts the award.

“We start with a question, it leads to another question, and another. And sometimes it leads to a story you never expected,” says Friedman.

— Columbia Journalism (@columbiajourn) February 7, 2023

In their comments about the “Paper Tag Nation” series, the duPont-Columbia Awards jurors wrote, “This remarkable series of investigative reports took an obscure topic - paper license plates - and uncovered an entire underworld of criminal activity, proving that public interest journalism can be as dramatic as an action movie.”

“Our team is dedicated to identifying fraud, critical safety concerns, and holding public officials accountable,” said Friedman. “We are incredibly grateful and honored that our efforts have been recognized by the du-Pont Columbia jurors with this prestigious award.”  

“‘Paper Tag Nation’ is a great example of impactful stories NBC 5 Investigates is committed to uncovering and that resulted in meaningful change throughout Texas and beyond,” said John Stone, NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 Vice President of News.

“NBC 5 is honored to have been recognized with this duPont-Columbia award, as Scott, Eva and the NBC 5 Investigates team’s ‘Paper Tag Nation’ story is a testament of the continued importance of local journalism today and the service we provide our Dallas-Ft. Worth community and beyond,” said Tony Canales, NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 President and General Manager.

Founded in 1942, the duPont-Columbia Awards uphold the highest standards in journalism by honoring the best in broadcast, documentary, and online reporting, and were presented yesterday evening in a ceremony at the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City.  The award is frequently viewed as a companion to the Pulitzer Prize, which is also awarded by the Columbia University School of Journalism but recognizes written and musical work.

For complete details on all the winners, please access The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards finalist list and awardee info here.

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