Podcast with Macon ties that explores GA prison corruption is nominated for a Peabody Award

An investigative reporting podcast produced by Mercer University Assistant Journalism Professor Evey Wilson Wetherbee and a partner has been nominated for the 84th Annual Peabody Awards.

“Prison Town” explores systemic issues within the Georgia Department of Corrections by linking murders that occurred on the outside of prison back to incarcerated individuals inside of the Smith State Prison in Tattnall County.

The title alludes to the absurdity of the small county housing three large prisons, including Georgia State Prison, Wetherbee said.

Wetherbee reported on the six-part series for two years with Jessica Szilagyi, publisher of The Georgia Virtue. The two were chosen from more than 1,100 story submissions across broadcasting and streaming media in 2023 to be considered for a Peabody Award.

“This was a really intense project that Jessica and I gave so much of our time to,” Wetherbee said. “It’s so validating to be on the same list with The New York Times, PRX and the Center of Investigating Reporting.”

The creation of the podcast began after Wetherbee began reporting on prison conditions when the Department of Justice announced its investigation into Georgia prisons for civil rights violations, she said.

While reporting, Wetherbee discovered multiple themes, including prison violence, understaffing and contraband used to exhort families, she said.

Wetherbee read Szilagyi’s article about the January 2021 killing of Bobby Kicklighter, an 88-year-old of Tattnall County, who was fatally shot in his home. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation unveiled a connection between his killing, Smith State Prison and a second murder in a neighboring county.

Wetherbee and Szilagyi partnered to produce six episodes that investigated the parallels of the crimes while also contextualizing what happens throughout Georgia’s criminal justice system.

Wetherbee said while the stories are shocking, they are not as rare as one would think, which contributed to her journalistic mission of raising awareness about prison conditions.

Szilagyi told Mercer News that she believes the Peabody nomination for “Prison Town” demonstrates the success of that goal.

“We worked really hard to create a podcast that would not only inspire people to advocate for changes in a broken system but also spotlight how these ongoing issues leave no demographic of people untouched,” Szilagyi said in a Mercer press release.

Wetherbee said the podcast has made an accountability impact, since Georgia prison officials were recently found in contempt of an agreement that would restore incarcerated individuals’ constitutional rights regarding the state’s most extreme solitary confinement unit.

“I think this podcast ignites a lot of conversation, and that’s what we want to do. We want to inform people as journalists,” she said. “It’s exciting to see people take action and try to remedy the crises that are happening in Georgia prisons.”

The podcast has had 51,000 downloads as of Monday, Wetherbee said.

Wetherbee said the podcast’s second season will focus on the trauma and mental health crises happening in Georgia prisons.

Since 1940, the prestigious Peabody Award recognizes stories that matter and honors “a collection of stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day.”

The finalists from all categories will be announced May 9, and the awards presentation ceremony will be held on June 9 in Los Angeles.

“Prison Town” is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the “Prison Town” website.