Katie Couric's Sarah Palin Interview Wins Cronkite Award (VIDEO)

Katie Couric has won a Cronkite Award for her revealing, multi-part interview of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

The Cronkite Awards have been presented biannually by the USC Annenberg School for Communication, in honor of CBS News legend Walter Cronkite, since 2000.

Couric won her award in the category "Special Achievement for National Impact on the 2008 Campaign." In the awards announcement, judges called Couric's interview with Palin a "defining moment in the 2008 presidential campaign," and described it as "extraordinary, persistent and detailed."

The interview — in which Palin spoke about Alaska's proximity to Russia and was unable to name a single national publication that she read — was an instant classic, and would be parodied on "Saturday Night Live," with Tina Fey playing Palin against Amy Poehler's Couric.

ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" also won a Cronkite Award, for its "On the Trail" series.

"Judges praised the incisive and compelling nature of the reports, as well as [Stephanopoulous'] thorough preparation," the announcement said.

Watch Couric's full award-winning interview with Palin below:

Comments

[rblaquinta]

You go Girl!!!

[aloha43]

It's funny how Sarah Palin is now saying that if she had done live interviews with no editing, that she would have done better.

How?

[FR]

She's saying that ONLY because she's trying to convince people that somehow the interview was somehow "edited" to make her look bad. Yeah right. Spin spin spin.
She gave terrible, incompetent answers to simple, politely-phrased questions. SHE did all the messing up all by herself.
No editing can change that in either direction. Period.

[georgiegirl]

I never thought much of Katie until I saw the Palin interview and I thought she did a marvelous job.
Now, I wish that someone research some of Palin's dealings since becoming Governor..­...there's something rotten in Denmark.

[mistlesuede]

I could have written your comment word for word. You are exactly right! And congrats to Katie for being recognized as having done such a good job. Thank God for what she did. Could you imagine that airhead and McCain dealing with the mess this country was left in?

[johnie2xs]

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/380134.html Read the Comments. Enjoy !!!!!

[aloha43]

Ok, I gave it a second chance, and watched the video again. Something I thought I'd never do.

Palin still made a fool of herself. I'll get back to you on that. When Putin rears his head. Gotcha Journalism. You Betcha!

Katie did a great interview, and in my opinion, should have asked harder questions.

Thank you Katie! Great job done! Keep up the good work.

[DeeOne1]

That was a GREAT interview. She got to the bottom of Mrs. Sarah Palin. It might have hurt Palin's chances, but we learned a lot more about her.

http://www.TheCommentDepot.com

[retrorio]

Congratulations, Katie. The award was well deserved. The questions were fair, some ridiculously easy, and of the sort that a competent polititian should be able to handle, especially one who could potentially become president. What the interviews revealed is that Sarah is able to perform adequately when coached (i.e., the debates) or quite well when reading a speech on a Teleprompter, but on her own she is woefully ignorant, probably due to a lack of intellectual curiousity.

[OswegoKayaker]

There was no gotcha stuff going on, just simple questions that most of us political junkies could have easily handled -- and we weren't running for office. Palin never seemed to be able to answer too many of them or rambled off onto something that had nothing to do with what was asked. When she told Katie that she would bring her the answers -- it was priceless.

When I saw Katie interview Palin with McCain I knew they were dead in the water. I sighed with relief -- it was really all America had to see to understand that a vote for them would be a total disaster for the country. Palin and McCain had no answers and still have no new answers to the problems facing the country. Congratulations and thank you Katie for an amazing series of interviews.

[omobob]

"That question about what she reads was indeed the tipping point. Palin was so stunned and angered by the inference that people in Alaska are so backward that they must not read any books, that she couldn't even answer. " Huh? Ever think of writing for Gov. Palin. I think she could use your "quick on the feet" excuses for not being able to answer simple questions. Kudos.

[texmike]

To think people would want someone who miscomprehends THAT BADLY (on a simple question from Katie Couric) to have access to nuclear codes!

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, gasp, chortle, snort! Stop it! Yur killin' me! Ask a simple question; get a simpleton's answer.

[aloha43]

Gasp, Chortle, snort!!

LOL! That is so funny!

[Ugonna]

I think Palin is the one who saved America, by exposing her own stupidity. All Couric did was ask basic questions.

[pewty]

Totally agree. Couric handed Palin a small length of rope and Palin hung herself.

[JUSTIFY]

I wish Katie would do a piece on how Greta Van Susterens hubby funded her PalinPac!! We don't hear any of that from Greta even though she's continuously blogging about her icon!!

[huffnpuff147]

She should also get a bronze medal and a purple heart and all the Captain Crunch she can eat - outstanding job!!

[JUSTIFY]

Katie should have Greta on and interview her. Ask her why she keeps banning the left from giving their opinions and views on whats going on in the country, though they may be the opposite of what she feels!! Her blogsite once again is'nt permitting us to voice our opinions there! Someone needs to call out this woman!

[glaze]

I'm just wondering-
1) What if the same questions Couric asked had been asked by a 'right-wing friendly' interviewer?
(I suspect the answers and their relative left-right spins would have been the same.)
2) Although it seems to be left-leaning, NPR has what I consider the best, fairest and most even-handed interviewer in any media- Terri Gross of the Fresh Air program. Again, the same questions, same interviewee. Probably the same answers, same spins. Big difference would be that Gross would be getting the equivalent award for radio.

[cocolola]

Way to go, Katie! Concisie to the point questions. Well deserved.