Walter Cronkite Award For Excellence In Television Political Journalism 2013 Winners Announced

NATIONAL INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT

• Jonathan Karl, ABC News, the winner in this category, was singled out for his "refreshing and original" analysis of complex topics. His probing interviews of presidential primary candidates were singled out as particularly effective, "getting candidates to relax, but never backing away from tough questions. He has a unique style of storytelling. He's likeable, yet unrelenting in getting the facts."
• Martha Raddatz, ABC News, receives a Special Commendation for Debate Moderation for her work in the vice presidential debate. Judges praised her for being "an active moderator who struck the right balance between facilitating and shaping the debate. She posed excellent questions, asked for specifics and did her best to keep the candidates on point."

NATIONAL NETWORK PROGRAMMING

This year, instead of selecting a regularly-scheduled national news program, judges gave the Cronkite Award to the campaign coverage carried across the schedules of two network entrants.

• BET not only informed African-Americans about the candidates and issues; jurors noted that BET also issued "a call to action to potential voters."  While stories were substantive and insightful, "a lot of heart and passion went into pieces" as well.
• Univision journalists who interviewed the presidential candidates were praised for being "relentless in their approach to getting information."  Though "their questions were agenda-driven for the Latino community, this is precisely what community news requires."

Judges said that both BET and Univision "served their viewers extremely well," adding that "all Americans deserve the level of solid coverage that these networks provide their audiences."

The Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Television Political Journalism are named for distinguished journalist and longtime CBS anchor Walter Cronkite. In addition to the Cronkite/Jackson Prize jury, a panel of nine judges was chaired by Geneva Overholser, director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism. In 2013, well over 100 entries – a record – were received.

"It was an especially strong field, and judges were encouraged that it was so hard to pick winners," said USC Annenberg professor Martin Kaplan, director of USC Annenberg's Norman Lear Center, which has administered the biennial awards since 2000. "The entries demonstrate that against long odds, TV journalists across the country are determined to get it right in a medium that most Americans still turn to in order to learn about their electoral choices."

The awards will be presented at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., on Friday, April 19. For more information about the awards, visit the website at www.cronkiteaward.org.

SOURCE USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center

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