WRAL-TV 5 Investigative Reporter Stuart Watson

"We don't go around to stir things up for the sake of stirring things up. But there are some questions that are unsettling. There are certain stories that require the ability to dig below the surface."

That's the way Stuart Watson, investigative reporter for WRAL- TV5, sees his job.

He has made investigative work his specialty. In 1993, when he was at WKRN-TV in Nashville, Tenn., he was part of a team that won the prestigious Peabody Award. The team had produced a series of reports on the relationship between legislators and lobbyists, calling it "Under the Influence." Other reports have garnered Stuart two Emmys, a Green Eyeshade award, and a regional award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

"People call in to tell us about issues or activities that are bothering them," he says. "Often they don't want to be identified and we honor that, we respect it. The best ideas we get come from these tips. And I also get ideas from my own curiosity: Why are things the way they are?"

Stuart enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.

He has a degree in English from Vanderbilt University. Prior to coming to WRAL-TV5, he reported in Jackson, Mississippi; Toledo, Ohio; and Nashville.

"What I try to do is give voice to the voiceless, and hold the powerful accountable," he says. "Some of the most powerful institutions in our lives are government and commerce."