U.S. Department of Justice Suspends Warrantless Airport Search Program After InvestigateTV Reporting

ATLANTA, Jan. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) today announced that following an investigation by Gray’s InvestigateTV and Atlanta News First Investigates, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ended a nationwide search program that seized untold millions in cash from airline passengers without arrests.

This unprecedented action by the DOJ is the result of the award-winning investigation, In Plane Sight which originally aired in September 2023 and led to multiple follow up reports through December 2024.   The DOJ ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop searching innocent passengers at departure gates as a direct result of a video recorded by a traveler who saw the investigation and followed the legal advice reported in the series.

InvestigateTV is Gray’s national investigative team that produces original reporting for InvestigateTV+, a 30-minute daily program cleared in 46% of the U.S.   A weekend edition of the show, InvestigateTV+ Weekend, is cleared in 67% of the U.S.

“Our mission at InvestigateTV is to uncover not only real problems, but real solutions,” said Gray’s Senior Vice President of News Strategy and Innovation Lee Zurik.   “This is a prime example of how we collaborate with investigative teams at Gray stations across the country to uncover issues that affect every viewer and create significant change.”

In Plane Sight originated with Atlanta News First Investigates, the investigative unit at Gray affiliate WANF.   The undercover investigation evolved into a multi-part series that tracked the activity of plainclothes agents at airports across the U.S. Now that activity is suspended nationwide.

“Results like these are why investigative journalism is a critical part of our culture,” said InvestigateTV and Atlanta News First Chief Investigator Brendan Keefe.   “Gray invests in and empowers our teams to produce original, impactful content with real world results.”

The investigation also spurred action from Congress.   Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, asking why the Drug Enforcement Administration was searching innocent passengers at boarding gates at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.   He credited In Plane Sight with uncovering an important issue for flyers.

“I’m not sure that this change, this investigation, and this halt to potentially very problematic DEA practices would have occurred without your reporting.   You have been on this story, helping to expose what appear to be potentially serious civil rights violations,” said Senator Ossof.

About Gray Media:

Gray Media, or Gray, is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, formerly known as Gray Television, Inc.  The company is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 43 markets totaling nearly 1.5 million Hispanic TV Households.  The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services.  Gray’s additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. Gray owns a majority interest in Swirl Films. For more information, please visit www.graymedia.com.

Gray Contact:

Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333