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

[liberalbug]

Shameful! How can such "gotcha" journalism win awards? Katie was asking such very hard questions and Sarah just couldn't answer them. Shame on you Katie, shame, shame, shame!

[weatherwaxx]

Careful - some folks won't recognize irony...

[ChelseaC]

LOL!
I LOVE it!!!!

[tploomis]

Katie Couric's interview of Sarah Palin was a masterpiece. Couric provided the rope, and Palin hung herself. Couric acted as though she were trying as best she could to let Palin explain herself, acting as broadminded and sympathetic as possible, and it set the stage for Palin to reveal to the world how totally clueless she is. Couric came across as incredibly nonjudgmental under the circumstances, almost as though she were sincerely trying to get Palin to explain herself. Palin responded by floundering in the sea of her own ignorance. I had almost given up on Couric prior to this, watching her wooden delivery of teleprompted news. This interview reminded me that she really does have incredible talent. Journalism majors should study this interview for years to come to learn how to do a good interview.

[trisha08]

So true. Also add that Palin did the Couric interview because,she felt, a woman would be easier on her. Ha, Ha.

Couric was a master at letting Palin jump off the cliff herself.....no push needed.

Palin claims, "When Putin rears his head and flies into Alaska's airspace." Good Lord, Palin would have us in an International incident faster than she could wink at the camera. It's not a real good idea to accuse Russia of flying into US airspace when they haven't done so.

[Lurker50]

I know I'm surprised she didn't say, "When Putin rears his "ugly" head and flies into Alaska's airspace."

[DoctorWhoDat]

Howard Stern could have done a better interview.

[master09]

Now Now you ignorance is showing; you are joking ,right ?

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Howard is actually a very good interviewer.... He just prefers to act like a 12 year old instead of an adult most of the time.

[weatherwaxx]

God, no - he might've asked Mrs Mooseburger to interview in a swimsuit. Have mercy!

[TallyLass]

It was ok, but if you ever saw cronkite, well this was Yawnnnnnnn. It's sad when this is what gets a cronkite and she won and Edward R. Murrow. Gezzz

[moonbay]

I said it before, and I'll say it again. Ms Couric did the nation a great service with this interview. She deserves her award. Journalism students, study this interview. It was rapped as "lightweight" at the time, but it revealed the real Sarah Palin, unlike previous interviews with more "conventional" interviewers. Ms Couric knew what she was doing and she did a right-good professional job of it.

[Thefamilyvan]

I agree! Bravo! And thanks Couric! You did us ALL a HUGE FAVOR!

[master09]

I will always remember Ms Couric for the way she did this interview, she showed what a pro she is.

[BenderBot]

No body can make this interview up!

This interview takes the Oscar!

[Kay72403]

Didn't have the stomach to watch before..........WOW Palin's performance was worse than i could have imagined. Unbelievable, inarticulate, hillbilly.

[VOTER]

And yet she is the Governor of Alaska............. Huh?

Scary stuff!
Hopefully Couric's interview has motivated Alaskans
to demand better candidates and VOTE.

[American Hayek]

This is a joke right?

[iRob08]

In what respect, Hayek?

[Freesia2]

lol

[weatherwaxx]

This was the real 'heartbeat-away-from-the-presidency' interview. I don't think much of Couric, but the networks don't allow real journalism anymore. She just let old Sarah be her natural stupid self....

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Does that mean Walter Cronkite also only engaged in "Gotcha Journalism"....

(the snark here is directed at SP, who despite being a supposed Journalism major, wouldn't be able to pick out a real Journalist unless that Journalist was holding a $650 pair of shoes)

[Nicon]

You Betcha!

[Notapathetic]

Couric should go down in history as one of the saviors of the Republic. Maybe, just maybe, had Couric failed to expose Palin, we would have had a different outcome in the election.

Can you even imagine those two trying to dig us out instead of Obama/Biden?

[iRob08]

Gotcha Journalism... a term used by people like Palin who can't answer simple questions, and want power and respect without having earned it first.

[johnr49]

Gotcha Award Media?

[StephenDedalus82]

Oh give it a rest. She didn't ask her what the capital of Uzbekistan is, she asked her what she reads. Any toddler can answer that question.

[tossytosser]

Tashkent

Love

Sarah

[sunnyjane]

You are SO right on with your toddler analogy. I picked up my four-year-old grandson from pre-K yesterday and as we were driving home I asked him "What did you do in school today?"

He said, "I built a robot and we read a story."

"Oh!" I said. "Did you read Bear Has a Visitor?"

"No," he replied. "We read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. And yesterday, we read Today I Feel Silly."

Take THAT, Sarah Palin!

[splendidbeast]

SP got got!

[iRob08]

Katie should get the Medal of Freedom next for exposing that crazy to America and causing McCain to lose. She did us a huge favor :)

[toocoldout]

There's no evidence that that interview hurt the republican ticket. On the contrary; exit polls showed that the republican ticket did better among voters who considered the republican VP candidate to be an important part of their decision.

[buddhistMonkey]

The exit polls also showed Obama/Biden leading McCain/Palin by 8 points.

[hdohighdesertobserver]

This is one more example why the country doesn't trust the judgment of the right-wing.

You are a fool if you don't know beyond any shadow of doubt that the interview showed Palin to be a second-rate observer of current world affairs. She was a drag even on a weak ticket. McCain and the GOP imploded before our eyes.

Can't you see that?

We don't trust your judgment.

[gisele422]

Today, I can say I enjoyed listening to this interview with the comfort of having President Obama in the job. Prior to the elections I was mortified!!

[Nicon]

The night this first Aired, was the first night ever the Dems ran out looking to by guns end mass. We finally know what a good ole fashion GOP freak out feels like. At least ours was justified.

[bleeplander]

Katie the world owes you big time honey!!!

[toocoldout]

Why? The republican ticket would have lost in a land slide anyway. You had an extremely unpopular republican president, an extremely unpopular war. Add to that an economic crisis and the republican ticket didn't have a snow ball's chance in hell of winning. That's not to deny Katie's excellent journalism, but a massive win for the democrats was inevitable no matter what.

[ConfuciusSay-]

I respectfully disagree. Despite all the conditions you have listed plus Palin's nosedive, the voting public did not demonstrate a landslide.

The tenacity of Republican support defies description.

[bleeplander]

After this interview with Couric all the intellectual conservative talking heads where ashamed of this women and jumped on the Obama band wagon. Remember that?

[Michelle Mixon]

Sarah did not have an answer to what she read because she got all her news from Rush's radio broadcast. That explains why she thought her rabble rousing and divisive language would work.

[CaliforniaYucca]

Well, well... that little missy from Alaska made some folks look good, didn't she? And all she had to do was run her mouth!

[jcollell]

An award for that crap? Hell, all I had to do is ask 2+2.

http://www.youspar.com/

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Yes....But notice that Katie asked "what is 2+2 ?" six different times and still never got an answer.