CBS Evening News Wins Murrow Award For "Best Newscast"

Katie Couric's CBS Evening News, which has suffered through dismal ratings during her entire tenure as anchor (and for some time before that), got some much needed good press Tuesday when it was announced that it was the winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast for its August 9, 2007 broadcast.

ABC News was the big winner, taking in six awards, including one for Overall Excellence. CBS News won four awards, while NBC won just one (for writing).

Iraq coverage was also a major award winner, with Lara Logan's "Boots on the Ground" series winning the "Continuing Coverage" award and Kimberly Dozier's "The Way Home" feature winning the "Feature Reporting" award for CBS, and Bob Woodruff's "To Iraq and Back" winning the "News Documentary" award and Dan Harris' "Children of War" winning the "Hard News" award for ABC.

In a statement, CBS Evening News Executive Producer Rick Kaplan said he was very proud of both Couric and Logan:

"I'm very proud of all the women and men of CBS News who have been honored by winning so many of the Edward R. Murrow Awards. The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric winning a Murrow on what many would call an average news day just illustrates that the broadcast is a stand-out, on any given day. Katie and the team work diligently every day and it really is gratifying when your work is recognized. Lara Logan's series for the Evening News about American troops in Baghdad is just part of the great journalism Lara brings to viewers in her fearless and insightful reporting. My congratulations go out to everyone at the various CBS News broadcasts, radio and website who were recipients today."

List of network awards below:

Television Network/Syndication Service

Overall Excellence: ABC News
Continuing Coverage: CBS News, Boots on the Ground
Feature: Hard News: ABC News, Children of War
Feature Reporting: CBS News, The Way Home
Investigative Reporting: ABC News, Brian Ross Investigates: Prescription for Error
News Documentary: ABC News, To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports
News Series: ESPN Deportes, Sobrevivientes - Still Alive
Newscast: CBS News, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric
Sports Reporting: ESPN, ESPN SportsCenter: Sister Andrea Jaeger
Spot News Coverage: ABC News, Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Videography: ABC News, Key to the World: Kiribati
Website: CBS News, cbsnews.com
Writing: NBC News - The Today Show, American Story with Bob Dotson

For the full winners list, click here.

Comments

[grimm]

This is like handing out the Mahatma Ghandi Humanitarian Award for Best Genocide.

[grimm]

Gandhi, that is.

[Kim445588]

lol

[dezzertguy]

Well, if Jimmy Carter and Al Gore can "win" the Nobel Peace Prize, anything is possible. This is just more proof that nowadays awards mean very little.

[Diana]

Whether or not you agree with the accolade, both Carter and Gore contributed to the common good. Kuric is pure, base propaganda. Not a whit of journalism. Nothing redeeming there. (This is not a comment about her person--she's probably a terrific person--just her journalistic bona fides.)

[FreeThinkn1]

True! What serious journalist uses facial expressions and slang to ask a candidate running for POTUS how he feels about another candidate? Begin Valley Girl accent: Like how totally rediculous.

[dezzertguy]

That is your opinion, I rather read and see that Carter has only thought of his legacy. Gore basically has a good job.

[christieZ]

I can assure you, the Nobel Peace Prize is still worth something. Might you remember Martin Luther King Jr., Ganhdi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa? They don't just give the Nobel Peace Prize to anyone, you idiot. Jimmy Carter has been an amazingly effective philanthropist and Al Gore finally got people in this country and others around the world to get serious about global warming. Your resume better be pretty impressive.

[dezzertguy]

Fool, nowadays means current times. Jimmy Carter was given the award as a "slap" to Bush.and Gore, was in the same vein. I know you do not follow current events, but that does not give you leave to call someone that does an idiot. I would not think you have a resume.

[chappelforpres]

Self-contgratulatory clap trap. Give me Moyers and Frontline all day. They honor Murrow's legacy.

[InofTouch]

oh look...the peanut gallery is talking...for a second there, I thought I was in the enterainment section because of the same typical comments can be found here as well as the Huffopost's Enterainment.

[Agentlady007]

It's a small world.

[Agentlady007]

...after all.

[dr4Will]

I'm watching CBS again--the supporting reporters are much better--Katie is coming back--Charly is trembling and Brian is a wimp!!

[TroubleNYC]

Katie Couric's CBS Evening News, which has suffered through dismal ratings during her entire tenure as anchor (and for some time before that), got some much needed good press Tuesday when it was announced that it was the winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast for its August 9, 2007 broadcast.

Is it April 1st already?

[mooph]

With AP and CNN as sponsors of the award? Wonder who else got to vote.

[longislandlol]

I don't know anyone who watched that August show--(no pun intended.)

[SeekerOne]

Where's ABC's award for best "moderation" of a presidential primary debate?

I wish that someone would sponsor a Worst news award. So many contenders...

[Agentlady007]

Since I get most of my news here, big deal right? Couric is a flirt. She annoys me. I may be the only one she annoys, but ...I never watch her interviews because she always looks like she wants to F#ck her guests.

[provgrays]

CBS has earned some credit.

Their Iraq coverage has outstripped the other two broadcast networks and the show is at least as good as the others overall. It's fashionable to bash Katie Couric but she's a newsreader, just like Charles Gibson and Brian Williams.

The segment producers and the field reporters deserve credit and yes, so does Couric.

[RobinSeattle]

That sound you hear is Murrow boring a path to the center of the earth. Talk about having your name besmirched.

[angelbravo]

I can't judge with 24hr news I hardly ever see the evening news

[gnomic]

Really? Are these things for sale these days or have standards fallen so low that Couric can get an award? Or is this award for effort - sadly, I do believe she's giving it her best. The complete lack of depth, ability, or journalistic talent may not factor in.

[DMcD]

Lara Logan ------- the very best

Couric -------- not so much ( a distant shadow compared to Logan)