Contact: Geoffrey Baum, (213) 821-1491
LOS ANGELES, December 2, 2004 – The USC Annenberg School for Communication today announced a call for entries for the
USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism. The Cronkite Award, administered by USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center, recognizes television coverage that informs viewers about their electoral choices and the potential impact of those choices on their lives.
"These awards honor reporters, news executives and station owners who know that good political coverage can make great television, and who live up to the promise broadcasters make to fulfill their obligation to the public interest," said
Martin Kaplan, associate dean of the USC Annenberg School and director of the Norman Lear Center.
The USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award will be given for coverage of the 2004 election. Coverage must have aired in the United States during 2004. Entries will be accepted from local, network, public and cable networks and stations.
The deadline for entries is December 15, 2004.
The entry categories are:
- National Broadcast Television Network: Commercial networks and public broadcasting stations and individuals are eligible.
- National Cable Television Network: Networks and individuals are eligible.
- Station Group: Local and cable station groups are eligible.
- Local Television and Public Broadcast Station: Local stations and individuals are eligible. Entries will be judged by market size—Large Market (1-20), Medium Market (21-50), Small Market (51 +).
- Local Cable News Station: Regional stations and individuals are eligible.
- Best Coverage of Money and Politics: All networks, television stations and individuals are eligible.
Entry and nomination information is available online at
href="http://www.reliableresources.org/">www.reliableresources.org.
Submissions are screened by USC Annenberg journalism faculty and staff, and then judged by a select team of top broadcast and news professionals. Winners will be announced in spring 2005.
This will be the third time the awards have been presented. Previous winners of the USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award include Hearst-Argyle Television; NBC News’ "Meet the Press"; WFAA-TV, Dallas; KING-TV, Seattle; Wisconsin Public Television; KMTV, Omaha; Nebraska ETV Network; News 8 Austin, TX; Jay Warren at WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA; Randy Shandobil at KTVU-TV, Oakland, CA; and WCPO-TV, Cincinnati.
About Reliable Resources
The Cronkite Award is a project of Reliable Resources for Broadcast Political Coverage (
www.reliableresources.org), a project of The Norman Lear Center. Its aim is to help return high-quality TV coverage of issues and candidates – once the staple of American political campaigns – to broadcast newsrooms. With the help of educators, journalists, TV broadcasters and the public, Reliable Resources identifies, develops and distributes tools to help local stations and network television provide innovative and informative political coverage, and to recognize and reward those efforts.
About The Norman Lear Center
The Norman Lear Center (
www.learcenter.org) is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center exploring implications of the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society. The impact of entertainment on news and politics is a principal focus of the Lear Center.
About the USC Annenberg School for Communication
The USC Annenberg School for Communication (
www.annenberg.usc.edu) is one of the nation’s leading institutions devoted to the study of communication and journalism; their impact on politics, culture, and society; and the preparation of students for professional success in these fields.
back to top