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Bennett Cunningham
Bennett Cunningham's hard-hitting style exposes wrongdoing, resulting in broad, far-reaching policy changes that affect the Dallas/Fort Worth community everyday.
Most recently, he broke a national story on questionable spending among top executives at DFW International Airport. Bennett's exposé forced a massive restructuring of travel policy and put an end to excessive first class travel around the world and extravagant meals with the public's money. He also was awarded a 2009 Regional Murrow Award for the series investigation.
Bennett also exposed the North Texas Tollway Authority's spending habits. The CBS 11 investigative unit followed NTTA officials to Austria for a tollway conference. Once again, the executives were held accountable for failing to attend meetings and spending public money on a sightseeing junket.
Bennett's other stories include a groundbreaking investigation into the anti-smoking pill Chantix that revealed links to suicides all over the world. Months after a number of investigative reports into Chantix, the FDA and Pfizer, the manufacturer of Chantix added a warning regarding suicidal behavior to the drugs' label. Bennett also investigated Ford vehicle fires that destroyed homes. Weeks after Bennett's investigation, Ford began voluntary recalling trucks that resulted in the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.
Prior to joining CBS 11 News, Bennett was a reporter with KTVK-TV in Phoenix. While there, he uncovered a secret smuggling operation of computer microprocessors at the Intel manufacturing plant. He also was the lead reporter during the four-month federal criminal trial of former Arizona Governor J. Fife Symington.
An award-winning journalist, Bennett has received several prestigious awards during his career. Most recently, three 2009 Lone Star Emmys for Best Government/Political Story (for his work on the DART Spending Investigation), Best Continuing Coverage (for his work on the DFW Airport Spending Investigation) and Best Investigative Reporter (second year in a row). He has also received a 2009 National Headliner Award for Best Series of Reports for his work on the DART Travel Investigation, a 2008 Lone Star Emmy for Best Government News Series for his work on Tollway Spending and a National Headliner Award for his work on his investigation into the anti-smoking pill Chantix.
Bennett is also a licensed attorney in the state of Texas.
Last Updated: November 3, 2009
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