RTDNF Announces 2018 First Amendment Award Honorees

On March 8, 2018, the Radio Television Digital News Foundation will host its 28th annual recognition of First Amendment champions – The First Amendment Awards: Freedom Fails Without A Free Press. The biggest names in broadcast and digital journalism will gather at the Washington Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. for the black tie dinner and awards ceremony.

“We are experiencing an unprecedented number of attacks to our integrity and role in society,” said Dan Shelley, Executive Director of RTDNA/RTDNF. “Showcasing and celebrating responsible journalism matters more than ever. Through our First Amendment Awards, we shine a light on individuals and news organizations who seek and report the truth ethically and responsibly.”

The 2018 honorees include:

First Amendment Award - Meet the Press --This award honors an outstanding individual or organization which champions the First Amendment and press freedoms.  Moderated by NBC News political director Chuck Todd, who will accept the award, NBC’s "Meet the Press" is the longest-running show in television history, currently celebrating 70 years on the air.

Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award – Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC -- Named for the late Broadcasting & Cable senior correspondent, Leonard Zeidenberg, this award is presented to a radio or television journalist or news executive who has made a major contribution to the protection of First Amendment freedoms.

First Amendment Service Award – David Rhodes, CBS News -- This award honors professionals in local or network news who work in an off-air, management, largely behind-the-scenes capacity.

David Rhodes was named president of CBS News in 2011. Rhodes oversaw the creation of “CBS This Morning," a morning show with a serious news focus, in 2012. Since its launch, the broadcast has added more than a million daily viewers and is delivering the network’s largest morning news audience in nearly 30 years. Most recently, he named Jeff Glor as the next anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” In 2014, Rhodes, with CBS Interactive, launched CBSN, which live-streams CBS News’ journalism to new audiences and is available 24 hours a day on mobile, CBSNews.com, and streaming services.

First Amendment Leadership Award – Gretchen Carlson -- This award is presented to a business or government leader or other individual who has made a significant contribution to the protection of the First Amendment and freedom of the press.

Gretchen Carlson is one of the nation’s most successful and recognized news anchors and a tireless advocate for workplace equality and the empowerment of women. She most recently hosted The Real Story on Fox News for three years, and prior to that co-hosted the #1 rated cable morning news show, Fox and Friends, for more than seven years.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Robin Roberts, ABC News -- Robin Roberts is co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Under her leadership, the broadcast has won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program and the 2017 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Daytime TV Hosting Team.  Roberts has been honored with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame as well as the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year. She was voted the “Most Trusted Person on Television” by a Reader’s Digest poll in 2013.

The annual First Amendment Awards Dinner & Show is an opportunity to recognize and support responsible journalism and is the Foundation’s biggest annual fundraiser, raising essential funds to ensure that the broadcast and digital news profession remains a critical part of our nation’s free press for generations to come. To purchase tickets and tables, visit www.firstamendmentawards.org.