Ed Hooper

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William Edward (Ed) Hooper (born March 10, 1964) is a nationally recognized author, news broadcaster and writer from Knoxville, Tennessee. He is most widely known for his work in military affairs reporting and his advocacy for historic preservation and U.S. veterans in Southern Appalachia.

Hooper’s political reporting has often been described as leaning conservative, but he holds many libertarian views. 1He has been recognized on numerous occasions for his work as an investigative, feature and general assignment reporter. A reoccurring theme in his editorial work as a broadcaster and as a magazine and newspaper columnist is as an advocate for restoring U.S. history and civics to high school classrooms and military history to college and university curriculums.

2 Hooper holds dozens of awards for his work as a broadcast and print journalist, including three of the nation’s highest civilian military awards: The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service presented on Aug. 15, 2001, The Department of Defense Seven Seals Public Service Award presented on June 12, 2004 and 3 The U.S. Secretary of the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Award presented on August 9, 2005.They were awarded for his work documenting Tennessee’s notable veterans, his efforts decorating the graves of the state’s Medal of Honor recipients across the nation and for his work as a military affairs reporter during the Iraq War, where he also served as an embedded reporter with the U.S. Army’s 489th Civil Affairs Battalion while working as a news reporter for WIVK-FM. One of Hooper's broadcast credits cited in the awards was his creating and producing WIVK's twice-weekly broadcast series Voices from the Front with long-time colleague and WIVK afternoon announcer Ted Gunner Ousley, which gave soldiers and sailors from Tennessee the opportunity to speak with family members and listeners. The series was awarded numerous times for its public service contributions and led other stations across the nation to copy the program for their listeners.

Ed Hooper's first syndicated broadcast series was 4Radio Appalachia, 1986-1992, which aired on more than 30 stations in the Southern Appalachian region. The daily program covered the history and culture of Southern Appalachia and was noted for dispelling media stereotypes of the region that pervade popular culture. His work with the program was also noted for its documentation of minorities in Southern Appalachian history.

Hooper's first national story as a news reporter was his coverage of the 1994 Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station protest by the radical environmental group Earth First for WVLT-TV in Knoxville, which resulted in numerous arrests, police actions and national media coverage. He was the only broadcast reporter to arrive at the site before protestors set up a transportation blockade on highways and roads leading to the power station. In addition to news reporting and anchoring a weekly public affairs talk show for the station, Hooper created and produced a television feature series on Tennessee history and archaeology in 1995. The twice-weekly broadcast was carried by CBS affiliates statewide and earned regional and statewide recognition for its pioneering documentaries on Tennessee's past.

5 In 1996, Hooper coordinated a successful national media campaign to bring attention to the plight of Shiloh National Military Park’s erosion issues and the destruction of a Mississippian Indian Mound, which sat on the back of the National Park Service's Shiloh property. The ensuing efforts led him and broadcast producer Jeff Hentschel to create the Tennessee Online Internet site, which serves as a teaching aid for students studying the history of Tennessee.In addition, Hooper served as a Trustee and as Museum Outreach Chairman of the National Medal of Honor Museum of Military History from 1996 to 2002, where he assisted in researching and assisting with the displays of MOH "Halls of Valor" across the nation and at U.S. military facilities overseas. His research also aided state and federal officials in drafting legislation honoring noted veterans in Southern Appalachia. His knowledge of the American Southeast and Southern Appalachian issues has made him one of the most experienced voices on the subjects and he serves as a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows.

He has written three books. His 2006 release Knoxville in World War II is a photographic history of the city during the war era. 6 He currently works as editor of the Civil War Courier newspaper and the Camp Chase Gazette – the nation’s oldest and largest national publications on the American Civil War historical community.

1 Bibliography
2 Trivia
3 External Links
4 References Cited

[edit] Bibliography

Images of America: Knoxville (Arcadia Publishing 2003) ISBN 0738515574
Gunpowder and Glory: Tennessee’s Wild West Legends (PA 2005) ISBN 1413777988
Knoxville in World War II (Arcadia Publishing 2006) ISBN 0738543209

[edit] Trivia

Hooper's Bald in the Nantahala National Forest is named after his great-great-great grandfather.

Hooper served two successive terms as President of the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists.

In 2002, the Tennessee Legislature unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 0537 officially giving Hooper the ancient title of “Bard Laureate” of Tennessee for his efforts documenting Tennessee’s notable veterans.

His broadcast series “Public Access Denied: Tennessee Statute 4023116” led to legislators redefining the state’s laws regarding witnesses at public executions.