CNN was the clear winner on night No. 1 of the 44th News and Documentary Emmys, held Wednesday night in New York and streamed online.
The news network, which has experienced a turbulent two years of internal drama, scored 10 Emmy wins and on the same night of its remarkable achievement, saw one of its own, Wolf Blitzer, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 50-year career in journalism, including 33 years at CNN.
Blitzer’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to him by Sam Feist, CNN Washington Bureau Chief, and Senior Vice President. A portrait of Blitzer drawn by CNN anchor Jake Tapper was also auctioned off for charity.
Here’s the Blitzer Lifetime Achievement Award tribute video, voiced by his longtime colleague Dana Bash:
Tonight, CNN’s @wolfblitzer received the Lifetime Achievement Honor at the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards. We are so proud to recognize the decades-long news career of a beloved colleague and legendary journalist. https://t.co/D91j8udJea
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) September 28, 2023
CNN earned Emmy wins in categories including Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage for its coverage of the war in Ukraine and Outstanding Continuing News Coverage: Short Form also for its coverage of the war in Ukraine led by Clarissa Ward.
Vice News followed CNN with nine wins of its own. The recently shuttered news program Vice News Tonight was the main source for Vice’s impressive performance, as it won eight of the nine awards, including for Outstanding Continuing News Coverage: Long Form for Putin’s War on Ukraine.
Other big winners from the broadcast news side CBS News with four News Emmys, including for Outstanding Recorded News Program and Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage, Univision with three, and PBS with two.
ABC News for Outstanding Live News Program, NBC News, NBC News Now, Telemundo, and Scripps News, formerly Newsy, each earned one win. This was Scripps’ first-ever News Emmy win (Outstanding Science, Tech, or Environmental Coverage).
TV newsers on hand to present the Emmys on night one included NBC News’ Ellison Barber, CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, ABC News’ John Quiñones, Telemundo News’ Johana Suárez, Univision’s Pedro Ultreras, and the aforementioned Ward.
Night one was dedicated to handing out the News Emmy awards, while night two will celebrate the Documentary Emmys.
Here’s a rundown of the 2023 Night No. 1 winners:
Outstanding Live News Program
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir – ABC
Outstanding Recorded News Program
Sunday Morning – CBS
Outstanding Emerging Journalist
Selina Wang – CNN
Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage
Russian Invasion of Ukraine – CNN
Outstanding Edited Breaking News Coverage
60 Minutes – CBS
Platform 4
Outstanding Continuing News Coverage: Short Form
Clarissa Ward: War in Ukraine – CNN
Outstanding Continuing News Coverage: Long Form
VICE News Tonight – Vice
Putin’s War on Ukraine
Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Short Form
I Stutter – The New York Times
Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Long Form
Op-Docs – The New York Times
My Disability Roadmap
Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form
Anderson Cooper 360 – CNN
10-Year-Old Trapped with the Uvalde School Shooter Repeatedly Called 911 for Help
Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Long Form
FRONTLINE, ITV – PBS
Putin’s War at Home
Outstanding Investigative News Coverage: Short Form
Anderson Cooper 360 – CNN
Investigating Uvalde
Outstanding Investigative News Coverage: Long Form
FRONTLINE – PBS
Afghanistan Undercover
Outstanding Live News Special
Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later – CNN
Outstanding Recorded News Special
Ukraine: A Mother’s War – NBC News Now
Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis
VICE News Tonight – Vice
Inside Rights: Teenagers Discuss Abortion
Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis: Editorial and Opinion
The Taliban Promised Them Amnesty. Then They Executed Them – The New York Times
Outstanding Live Interview – Short Form
Anderson Cooper 360 – CNN
Uvalde Shooting, Anderson Cooper Interviews Angel Garza
Outstanding Live Interview – Long Form
Amanpour – CNN
Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov interviewed by Christiane Amanpour
Outstanding Edited Interview
60 Minutes – CBS
President Zelenskyy
Outstanding Science, Technology or Environmental Coverage
In Real Life – Scripps News/Newsy
Outstanding Health or Medical Coverage
VICE News Tonight – Vice
Beyond Fentanyl
Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage
VICE News Tonight – Vice
The Dark Side of Manga
Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage
VICE News Tonight – Vice
The Price of Purity: Inside the Wellness Industry’s Controversial Supply Chains
Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage
VICE News Tonight – Vice
No Justice for Women in the Taliban’s Afghanistan