Diane Sawyer, anchor of “ABC World News” and recipient of the 27th Annual Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, told attendees of a luncheon honoring her selection for the award that journalists need to remember the importance of reporting a story accurately and fairly during a buck-the-trend interview with two Cronkite seniors.
“I believe it was Edward Murrow who said, ‘We’re supposed to tell the truth and not get too big for our britches,’” Sawyer said to more than 1,200 attendees at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
Sawyer followed in the footsteps of several other big-name journalists by by winning the award, including Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley and Bob Woodward.
While previous recipients have given acceptance speeches, Sawyer chose to be interviewed by two Cronkite students, seniors Kylee Gauna and Siera Lambrecht.
The choice of an interview prompted Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan to state that “Diane Sawyer made this award about the students” in his opening remarks at the luncheon.
Sawyer discussed critical points in her career throughout the interview, from her time working for President Richard Nixon’s administration to her most recent and toughest interviews.
“Saddam Hussein was the trickiest interview — getting out of the country with the tapes was trickier,” Sawyer said. “But on ‘Good Morning America,’ you interview a lot of actors. You want to make them mean something, but sometimes it’s just too early.”
When questioned about her status as a woman anchor, Sawyer said she is “so grateful to have Katie (Couric) there. I love that it is no longer remarkable (to see two women anchoring the evening news), but just wonderful.”
About 100 Cronkite students attended the luncheon and many left inspired by what Sawyer said about the rewards that come from being in the profession.
“A lot of people told me how personable she was, but hearing her speak, it was amazing to me how she has this down-to-earth class,” journalism freshman Brittany Smith said. “Having all these anecdotes, (she) made it seem like you were having a conversation directly with her.”
In her two days before receiving the Cronkite Award Sawyer attended the 2010 VA Veterans Day Parade and took ABC 15 News on Campus students to pizza at Pizzeria Bianco, all before anchoring ABC’s “World News” from the roof of the Cronkite building.
“She is a pioneer in broadcast journalism and has done it all,” said Kristin Gilger, assistant dean of the Cronkite School. “She focuses on what does it take to get the story. This is why she is so successful.”
The Cronkite Award Luncheon is meant to increase the visibility of the Cronkite School and to raise funds to increase the scope of the mission of the Cronkite School.
John Misner, president of the Cronkite Endowment Board, said the 2010 luncheon was the most profitable one that has been held.
Sawyer was also interviewed by Mark Lodato, assistant dean and news director of the Cronkite School, in the First Amendment Forum Friday morning in order to connect with Cronkite students that were not attending the luncheon.
Sawyer stressed the importance of investigative reports that “truly open your eyes (as) they are just as powerful if not more so (than) the cacophony out there.”
“Fact matters in ways you can’t calculate,” Sawyer said. “One fact can turn an entire understanding on its axis.”
Contact the reporter at caitlin.cruz@asu.edu
