The Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is now accepting entries for the 2017 Walter Cronkite Award For Excellence in Television Political Journalism. The award encourages and showcases substantive and innovative coverage that informs viewers about their electoral choices. It recognizes television journalism that helps viewers understand who the candidates are; what the issues and ballot propositions are; how electoral choices will affect their lives; how to assess campaign information, including advertising; and how to register, vote and make their own voices heard.

To apply for the 2017 Walter Cronkite awards, learn more about the awards and read the full guidelines, visit www.CronkiteAward.org.

The award ceremony and symposium will be held April 28, 2017 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., and will recognize work produced during the 2015-2016 presidential election season.

The Lear Center will again partner with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania which is presenting the Brooks Jackson Prize for Fact Checking Political Messages, recognizing broadcast journalists’ best practices in reducing the level of deception and confusion in U.S. political ads. The prize is named for the founding director of http://www.FactCheck.org.

DEADLINE:
Entries must be postmarked by January 13, 2017. An early bird deadline with reduced entry fee is December 9, 2016.

AWARD CATEGORIES:

• Local Broadcast Station
• Local Cable Station
• Local Public Station
• Individual Achievement, Local: Any individual from a local public, commercial, broadcast or cable station is eligible.
• National Network Program: Public, commercial, broadcast and cable networks are eligible to submit separate entries for one or more daily or weekly regularly scheduled program.
• Individual Achievement, National: Any individual from a national public, commercial, broadcast or cable station is eligible.
• Group: Entries will demonstrate achievement on stations across an ownership group. Broadcast, cable and public station groups are eligible.
• The Brooks Jackson Prize for Fact Checking Political Advertising (see below)

ENTRY GUIDELINES:

• Coverage submitted must have aired on broadcast television or online in the United States sometime during 2015-2016.
• Entry forms, narratives and video log-lists must be submitted electronically via our online entry form system.
• Web content: any submission has the option to include a narrative about the applicant's use of multimedia, social media and/or interactive technology on a TV news website, which may include screenshots, links and compilations of online content.
• Non-English language entries are encouraged and must be accompanied by an English transcript, or it may contain English subtitles or be dubbed in English.

THE BROOKS JACKSON PRIZE:

The Brooks Jackson Prize for Fact Checking Political Messages recognizes TV journalists' best practices in reducing the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. Winners will be selected by a special jury convened by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Winning submissions will include a narrative about the applicant’s use of multimedia, social media and/or interactive technology on their TV news website, which may include screenshots, links and compilations of online content. Two prizes will be awarded, one for local news and one for network news. Entries may be submitted by individuals, teams, news programs, stations or networks. An individual, team, news program or station may submit only one entry in this category, but a network may submit entries from more than one program. Multiple individuals or teams from the same station may apply separately.