The Walter Cronkite Awards
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About

The Walter Cronkite Awards

The 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism on Television and Digital Media honor outstanding local and national journalism that informs and empowers citizens and serves as a watchdog and advocate for democratic norms and institutions.
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The biennial Cronkite Awards competition is administered by the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School For Communication and Journalism.
 
A list of screeners and judges of the previous Cronkite Awards is below.

The Brooks Jackson Prize for Fact-Checking

USC Annenberg also partners with the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania to present the Brooks Jackson Prize for Fact-Checking. The prize is named for the founding director of  FactCheck.org .
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The Brooks Jackson Prize is administered by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. It is named in honor of the founding director of FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.
2025 Press Release
FAQs

2025 Cronkite Awards Jury

Willow Bay, ex officio
​Dean, USC Annenberg School
​for Communication and Journalism
Christina Bellantoni
Professor, Director of the Annenberg
​Media Center, USC Annenberg
Geoffrey Cowan
Professor of Communication;
Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership

Maritsa Georgiou
2021 Walter Cronkite Award Winner
for Local TV News

Vince Gonzales
Professor of Professional Practice of Journalism;
Associate Dean, Student Affairs, USC Annenberg

Rebecca Haggerty
Professor, Director of Undergraduate Journalism
Studies, USC Annenberg
Marvin Kalb
Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice, Emeritus, Harvard University;
Senior fellow, Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy

* Brad Luck
Freelance Journalist
Judy Muller
Professor emerita, USC Annenberg;
Veteran network journalist

Stacy Scholder
Professor, Director of Annenberg TV
News at USC Annenberg
​Gordon Stables, ex officio
Director, USC Annenberg School 
​of Journalism
Miki Turner
Award-winning photojournalist/producer/author,
Professor of Professional Practice, USC Annenberg

* Nick Valencia
Independent Journalist, host Nick Valencia Live!,
Substack

2025 Cronkite Awards Screeners

* Patrick Becker: Senior producer, CBS Evening News
Dan Birman: Documentary and TV producer, USC Annenberg Journalism professor
* Shawn Chitnis: Reporter, KCPQ-TV / FOX 13 Seattle
* Lori Jane Gliha: Emmy- & duPont-Columbia Award winning national investigative correspondent, Scripps News
Gretchen Goldsmith: TV executive producer
* Eli Goodstein: Lead producer,  video platforms, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Allan Lopez: Adjunct Instructor, Media Center Coach, USC Annenberg Journalism
* Ryan Pearson: Video Manager, The Associated Press
* Stacey Persoff: CBS News Coordinating Producer 
Lew Rothbart: Consultant, former KNBC newswriter, producer and assignment editor, and KTLA News
* Kris Van Cleave: Emmy- & Murrow-Award winning CBS Senior National Correspondent
* Darren Zulberti: Assistant News Director at KTVU Fox 2
* denotes USC & USC Annenberg alumni/ae

The Walter Cronkite Awards competition is administered by the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center; the Brooks Jackson Prize is administered by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  • 2025 Award Winners
  • FAQ
  • About