USC Annenberg School Announces 2007 Cronkite Award Winners

USC Annenberg School Announces 2007 Cronkite Award Winners

Television Journalists Honored for Coverage of the 2006 Campaigns

LOS ANGELES, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Proving that good political coverage can make great television, the USC Annenberg School for Communication today announced the 2007 winners of the USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism:

Local Broadcast Station:
* KING, Seattle
* WBAL, Baltimore

Individual Achievement at a Local Station
* Greg Fox, WESH, Winter Park, Fla.
* Bill Hormann, WTVG, Toledo, Ohio
* Robert Mak (reporter) and Mike Cate (producer), KING, Seattle
* Ben Simmoneau (reporter) and Dan Maddox (photographer/editor), WGAL,
Lancaster, Pa.

Local Cable Station, Large Market
* NECN, New England Cable News

Local Cable Station, Small Market
* News 8 Austin

Local Public Station, Large Market
* WGBH, Boston

Local Public Station, Small Market
* Wisconsin Public Television

Large Station Group
* NBC Television Stations Division

Small Station Group
* Hearst-Argyle Television

National Network Program
* ABC News This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Special Achievement
* ABC News' Brian Ross and the ABC News Investigative Unit

"These Cronkite Award winners demonstrate that television can use its unparalleled storytelling skills to cover politics and campaigns in ways that respect its audience and inform our citizens," said Martin Kaplan, USC Annenberg associate dean and director of the School's Norman Lear Center.

The biennial awards have been administered since 2000 by the Norman Lear Center and honor the distinguished broadcast journalist and longtime CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.

"At a time when economic pressures threaten quality and reward sensationalism, it is heartening to me that there are broadcasters around the country who remain committed to getting it right, making it compelling and serving the public interest," Cronkite said. "There is no better way to strengthen American democracy than to help citizens understand what is at stake in political campaigns."

Judges evaluated entries for work covering the 2006 elections. They gave special consideration to in-depth, issue-focused reporting that informed viewers about their electoral choices, and that helped them understand ballot issues, the candidates involved, and how electoral choices will affect their lives.

For more information about each individual winner, visit http://www.annenberg.usc.edu/

The awards will be presented on the USC campus in Los Angeles on April 19, at an event featuring a keynote speech by FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps.

Source: USC Annenberg School for Communication

CONTACT: Geoffrey Baum of USC Annenberg School for Communication,
+1-213-821-1491

Web site: http://www.annenberg.usc.edu/

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