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Bill Moyers, PBS
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Diane Sawyer, ABC
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Candy Crowley, CNN
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Facing the Truth with Bill Moyers, a two-hour Public Affairs Television documentary about the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa, last night won the Gold Baton, the highest honor of the annual Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards in television and radio.
"Much of the violence on television is gratuitous. But sometimes it is a key to the story, conveying a truth about years gone by, so that we can prepare ourselves for the years ahead," President George Rupp said in presenting the prize to executive producer and correspondent Bill Moyers. "This year's Gold Baton goes to a two-hour program about South Africa, a country where the passion to understand history has demanded an exploration of its violence."
In addition, 12 silver batons for overall excellence were awarded to local stations, network, radio and cable programs aired between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999. Award winners were selected from 650 submissions.
Jeff Greenfield, co-anchor and senior analyst for CNN's The World Today, hosted the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards in the Rotunda of Low Memorial Library at Columbia University in a ceremony that marked the 58th year of the awards. The program will be televised nationwide on PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York beginning Thursday, January 20.
Tom Goldstein, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and chairman of the awards jury, noted that "dogged research, old-fashioned enterprise and gutsy reporting -- and not just glitzy pictures -- are alive and well on American television in unexpected places." In particular, he praised the local commercial stations whose submissions indicate that "the kind of investigative work that takes imagination, time and commitment" is not only the domain of the major networks.
Presenting the batons were Gwen Ifill, senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and moderator of Washington Week in Review on PBS; Jack Ford, anchor and correspondent for the ABC News program 20/20; Susan Spencer, CBS News correspondent for 48 Hours; Columbia President George Rupp and Dean Goldstein. The winners are:
Gold Baton
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Bill Moyers and Public Affairs Television for Facing the Truth on PBS
Silver Batons
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ABC News and Diane Sawyer for 20/20: The Unwanted Children of Russia
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CBS News and Bob Simon for 60 Minutes II: The Shame of Srebrenica
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FRONTLINE and WGBH-TV, Boston, for The Triumph of Evil, on PBS
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CNN and Candy Crowley for coverage of the impeachment and trial of President Clinton
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New England Cable News, Newton, Massachusetts, for in-depth reporting
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KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, and Chris Vanocur for investigative reporting on the Olympics bribery scandal
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WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, for Guarding the Guardians
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WMTW-TV, Auburn, Maine, and Christine Young for investigative reports on the Christian Civic League
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Youth Radio, Berkeley, for E-Mails from Kosovo on National Public Radio
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SoundVision Productions for The DNA Files on National Public Radio
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Walter Brock and P.O.V. for If I Can't Do It on PBS
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Stanley Nelson for The Black Press: Soldier Without Swords on PBS
The 13 winners, with jurors' comments, follow:
GOLD BATON
Facing the Truth, produced by Bill Moyers and Public Affairs Television and aired on PBS. This powerful two-hour documentary explores the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa by reporting on the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As South Africans sought to heal the wounds of a divided society by bringing their confessions before a tribunal, Moyers conducted exquisitely insightful interviews with many of the witnesses. Few broadcast journalists have focused on the story of apartheid as effectively and for as long as Bill Moyers. This program combines stories of individual passion and suffering with relevant chapters in South Africa's history. It is a remarkably ambitious approach to one of the most important stories of the century's end.
The Gold Baton was accepted by the Executive Editors Bill Moyers, Judith Davidson Moyers, and Producer Gail Pellett.
SILVER BATONS
ABC News & Diane Sawyer for 20/20: The Unwanted Children of Russia.
Documenting the institutionalized neglect and abuse of thousands of handicapped children warehoused in Russian orphanages, ABC News manages to convey the shocking conditions with intelligence and restraint. Sometimes resorting to hidden cameras, Diane Sawyer interviews children and caretakers trapped in a system that dehumanizes children who might have thrived with better care and education. This is fine international reporting in a magazine format, demonstrating that television news at its best can devote prime time programs to important humanitarian issues. This investigation was done in cooperation with Human Rights Watch.
The Silver Baton was accepted by correspondent Diane Sawyer.
CBS News & Bob Simon for 60 Minutes II: The Shame of Srebrenica .
Correspondent Bob Simon's magazine-length report is a meticulous account of the single worst war crime of the Bosnian war - the massacre of 8,000 Muslims by the Serbs in 1995 at Srebrenica. Simon not only retraces the circumstances leading up to the massacre, he interviews Dutch soldiers, who, as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, were supposed to protect the Muslim civilians. The Dutch soldiers reveal how powerless they were in the face of conflicting orders from their commanders and the U.N. A seasoned international correspondent, Simon conducts brilliant interviews, allowing the subjects to speak for themselves.
The Silver Baton was accepted by correspondent Bob Simon.
FRONTLINE and WGBH-TV for The Triumph of Evil on PBS.
This powerful one-hour documentary investigates a vastly overlooked international story - the massacre of 800,000 Tutsi people in 1994 by the Hutu majority in Rwanda. FRONTLINE examines how the West chose to ignore clear warnings of the impending genocide, turned its back on the victims, then tried to suppress the truth. Produced in cooperation with the BBC, the program is unrelenting in its proof of the failures of U.S. policy and U.N. peacekeeping. It is a stunning report on the relationship between genocide and the world's failure to respond.
The Silver Baton was accepted by executive producer Michael Sullivan.
CNN & Candy Crowley for coverage of the impeachment and trial of President Clinton.
Candy Crowley's reports on the impeachment and Senate trial of President Clinton were a model of outstanding work on a story that every medium covered each day. Her reports were superbly written, thoughtful and comprehensive. Stylistically elegant, seamless in combining coverage of the Congressional proceedings with balanced analysis, Crowley's reports were exceptionally insightful, fair and often refreshingly witty.
The Silver Baton was accepted by correspondent Candy Crowley.
New England Cable News, Newton, Massachusetts, for in-depth reporting.
This series of in-depth reports shows the ability of a 24-hour cable news channel to outshine the reporting of many local broadcast newsrooms. While the trend in local reporting has been toward fast-paced crime coverage, New England Cable News reporters cover social issues in magazine-length form, especially during their primetime evening newscasts. Their collection of reports on a wide range of subjects including breast cancer, AIDS, a medical malpractice suit, a convicted sex offender and mandatory sentencing of criminals were consistently strong examples of local coverage in the public interest.
The Silver Baton was accepted by news director Charles Kravetz. [Note: Juror Philip S. Balboni, president of New England Cable News, recused himself from judging any of the major market entries this year.]
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, and Chris Vanocur for investigative reporting on the Olympics bribery scandal.
Reporter Chris Vanocur broke the story of international bribes and influence-peddling embedded in the practices of the International Olympic Committee. Vanocur was the first to report that Salt Lake City's Organizing Committee made tuition payments to the daughter of a member of the International Olympic Committee in its effort to secure the 2002 winter games. That report triggered an international story covered for months by the media pack. Vanocur's reporting was original, aggressive and clear, as he worked sources around the denials of Salt Lake officials. He took on powerful hometown interests in a scandal that had world-wide repercussions, and he continued to report on the actions of local and state officials, even after the spotlight turned away from Utah.
The Silver Baton was accepted by reporter Chris Vanocur.
WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, for Guarding the Guardians.
In a compelling series of investigative reports, WTHR revealed frequent abuses by the court-appointed guardians of an elderly pharmaceutical heiress, Ruth Lilly. The reporters challenged a major Indianapolis bank and a powerful local law firm by questioning lavish trips and campaign contributions made by Lilly's guardians. While Lilly's guardians maintained she was too fragile to appear in court, they took her on sightseeing trips abroad with an entourage of their families and friends. WTHR's reporters combed court documents and interviewed legal experts about the arcane subject of guardianship. Their reports led to intensified court oversight of Ms. Lilly and her fortune that continues more than a year after the stories aired.
The Silver Baton was accepted by news director Jacques Natz.
WMTW-TV, Auburn, Maine, & Christine Young for investigative reports on the Christian Civic League.
This aggressive series by investigative reporter Christine Young examines the financial practices of the Christian Civic League, an influential conservative lobbying group in Maine. The series proves that a news department at a small television station can successfully break complicated local stories and dedicate the airtime needed to explore them in depth. Young's superb straightforward interview style exposes the League's executive director. In 10 reports over an eight-month period, Young proves that League leaders violated IRS rules by channeling donations into political campaigns against gay rights and late-term abortions, and then refused to open their books to their membership.
The Silver Baton was accepted by reporter Christine Young and videographer John Pertel.
Youth Radio, Berkeley, Calif., for E-Mails from Kosovo on NPR.
This series of e-mail letters between a high school student named Finnegan in California and an Albanian school-girl in Kosovo is perfectly suited to the medium of radio. The girl, code-named Adona, offers vivid personal accounts of the fear, uncertainty and bloodshed taking place all around her. The suspense is stunning as Adona scrambles to stay alive, while Finnegan and the audience wait for her next e-mail. Produced by Youth Radio, an independent organization in Berkeley, and aired on National Public Radio, these accounts are an innovative approach to a major international story.
The Silver Baton was accepted by executive producer Ellin O'Leary.
SoundVision Productions, Berkeley, Calif., for The DNA Files on NPR.
This remarkably ambitious, thorough nine-hour radio series covers virtually every aspect of genetic science. The series ranges from interviews with scientists to humorous dramatizations of gene behavior. Narrated by John Hockenberry, who shares his delight in understanding the complexities of science, the programs inform on many levels without preaching or oversimplifying for a general audience. The series not only digests what science has proven about genetics, but it also confronts what is not yet known. The producers have drawn together scientific and ethical issues that are in the forefront of human inquiry.
The Silver Baton was accepted by executive producer Bari Scott.
Walter Brock and P.O.V. for If I Can't Do It on PBS
This one-hour independently produced documentary is an unflinching portrait of Arthur Campbell, a severely disabled but fiercely independent man. Filmmaker Walter Brock thrusts viewers headlong into Campbell's triumphs over cerebral palsy, patiently following him over a six-year period as he learns to live independently and to fight for the rights of all disabled people. Although Campbell's speech is difficult to understand, his thoughts are brash and clear. The program is an unforgettable portrayal of one man and his passionate - often desperate - struggle to thrive. The program aired on P.O.V., the public television showcase for independent films.
The Silver Baton was accepted by producer Walter Brock.
Stanley Nelson for The Black Press: Soldier Without Swords on PBS
This classic 90-minute documentary covers the remarkable and little-known history of black-owned newspapers in the United States. Independent producer Stanley Nelson skillfully integrates archival film, photographs and interviews with editors, reporters, cartoonists and photographers to trace the impact of the black press over the last 150 years. The documentary is a testimony to the ingenuity and determination of journalists to cover their own communities, often defying the barriers of segregation. In the process, Nelson demonstrates that the black press laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement of the 1950's.
The Silver Baton was accepted by producer Stanley Nelson.
The duPont-Columbia Awards honoring overall excellence in broadcast journalism were established in 1942 by the late Jessie Ball duPont in memory of her husband, Alfred I. duPont. The Graduate School of Journalism has administered them since 1968.
Serving on the nine-member jury with Dean Goldstein are: Philip S. Balboni, President of New England Cable News; Barbara S. Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and former CBS News Washington Bureau chief; John Dinges, assistant professor at the Journalism School and former NPR editorial director; Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of NBC News and PBS; David Klatell, associate dean and coordinator of the broadcast program at the school; Eric Mink, television columnist for the New York Daily News and earlier for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Betty Rollin, contributing correspondent for NBC News and the PBS program Religion and Ethics News Weekly; and George Strait, former chief medical correspondent for ABC News.
Christopher Lukas was producer and writer of the broadcast; Wayne Palmer was director. The broadcast is a coproduction of Thirteen/WNET New York and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Award winners receive batons designed by the late American architect Louis I. Kahn and executed by MJF Silversmiths in Williamsburg, VA. The batons are inscribed with the famous observation of television by the late Edward R. Murrow: "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box." (Address to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Chicago, Oct. 15, 1958.)
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