News Corp. Scandal a ‘Scary Example of What Can Happen When We Lose Sight of Ethical Journalism’

By Merrill Knox 

NBC News president Steve Capus and ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz were among the honorees at the 22nd annual First Amendment Dinner and Awards in Washington, DC last night.

Capus was presented with the First Amendment Leadership award by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams. (Both arrived in DC after spending the afternoon at the NBC News upfront in New York.) In his speech, Capus called on news organizations to maintain public trust, implicitly referring to News Corporation’s News of the World hacking scandal:

Last fall, we witnessed a frightening example of a news organization allegedly abusing the privacy rights of citizens in order to access information on their cell phones, of all things. Regardless of how this all went down, it was truly a fall. It’s a scary example of what can happen when we lose sight of ethical journalism and the importance of trust.

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Raddatz was presented the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award by her ABC colleague Jonathan Karl. Raddatz said international reporting is “something I’ve been passionate about, and I appreciate that ABC has been supportive of that passion over the years and invested in coverage.”

The RTDNF presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence to the family of the late Andy Rooney. WGBH TV’s Emily Rooney accepted the award on her father’s behalf.

Fox News Channel anchor Kelly Wright was the evening’s emcee.

> Related, TVSpy: NY Stations Carry Live Coverage of Verdict in Rutgers Webcam Spying Case

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