Mark Bell (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Mark Eric Bell is an award-winning American journalist
currently living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
, where he is employed as a crime and courts reporter at The Daily News Journal
. He also contributes to The Tennessean
in Nashville, Tennessee
as a reporter for Gannett Tennessee.
by the Associated Press
. He was honored for his reporting of a July 17, 2008 incident in which an 11-year-old Hopkinsville, Ky., girl was struck and killed on Bradyville Pike, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
by a police cruiser driven by a now-former sheriff's detective.
Bell reported eyewitness
accounts that the detective dumped bottles of alcohol from his cruiser after the crash and that investigators initially ignored those accounts and failed to collect the bottles at the scene. The chief of the Murfreesboro Police Department later admitted that investigators erred in not collecting the bottles, at least one of which was later linked to the sheriff's detective by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
. Two members of the Murfreesboro Fatal Accident Crash Team, including its commander, were forced to resign from the team and were placed on suspension by Murfreesboro Police Department's police chief and the city manager.
from the Tennessee Associated Press, Bell was also part of a team that won a First Amendment Citation during the National Associated Press awards held in New York, NY on Aug. 3, 2009.
Bell and The Daily News Journal were also awarded first place for investigative reporting by The Tennessee Press Association at their 2009 awards ceremony.
Bell was awarded 2nd place at a national level competition by Suburban Newspapers of America for ongoing investigative coverage.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
currently living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, where he is employed as a crime and courts reporter at The Daily News Journal
The Daily News Journal
The Daily News Journal is a newspaper serving Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Rutherford County, and surrounding communities. Published in Murfreesboro, it serves as the primary local newspaper, with competition from The Murfreesboro Post and other publications...
. He also contributes to The Tennessean
The Tennessean
The Tennessean is the principal daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky....
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
as a reporter for Gannett Tennessee.
Biography
Bell was born to Lester Mark and Lisa Bell on Oct. 22, 1985 at Morristown-Hamblen Hospital in Morristown, TN. He grew up in Talbott, TN and attended Morristown-Hamblen West High School, where he graduated in 2004. He earned a degree in journalism at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. in May 2008.Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award
Bell was awarded in 2009 with the Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting AwardMalcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award
The Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award is an award for investigative reporting established by the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors in 1973 to honor Malcolm Law, associate editor of The Jackson Sun, who died in December 1972.- About the award :The Malcolm Law Award is...
by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. He was honored for his reporting of a July 17, 2008 incident in which an 11-year-old Hopkinsville, Ky., girl was struck and killed on Bradyville Pike, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
by a police cruiser driven by a now-former sheriff's detective.
Bell reported eyewitness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
accounts that the detective dumped bottles of alcohol from his cruiser after the crash and that investigators initially ignored those accounts and failed to collect the bottles at the scene. The chief of the Murfreesboro Police Department later admitted that investigators erred in not collecting the bottles, at least one of which was later linked to the sheriff's detective by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the criminal investigative arm of the state government of Tennessee.It was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on March 27, 1980, as an independent state agency...
. Two members of the Murfreesboro Fatal Accident Crash Team, including its commander, were forced to resign from the team and were placed on suspension by Murfreesboro Police Department's police chief and the city manager.
Other awards and honorable mentions
In addition to winning the Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting AwardMalcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award
The Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award is an award for investigative reporting established by the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors in 1973 to honor Malcolm Law, associate editor of The Jackson Sun, who died in December 1972.- About the award :The Malcolm Law Award is...
from the Tennessee Associated Press, Bell was also part of a team that won a First Amendment Citation during the National Associated Press awards held in New York, NY on Aug. 3, 2009.
Bell and The Daily News Journal were also awarded first place for investigative reporting by The Tennessee Press Association at their 2009 awards ceremony.
Bell was awarded 2nd place at a national level competition by Suburban Newspapers of America for ongoing investigative coverage.