The incoming moderator of Meet the Press, NBC News’ Kristen Welker will receive the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate Award during a gala in her honor on Nov. 28 in Washington D.C.
The award recognizes journalists who have made significant contributions to the field and is the Club’s top prize.
Welker, who recently signed off from her role as co-host of NBC’s Weekend Today, will become the second woman and the first Black journalist to moderate Meet the Press when she officially takes the reins on September 17.
“Kristen’s coverage of the White House and Washington through multiple administrations consistently demonstrates her skill, integrity, and dedication to high journalism standards. Her reporting commands our attention, just as her moderation skills command a debate stage,” National Press Club president Eileen O’Reilly said in a statement. “Kristen embodies the values we celebrate with this award and is a fantastic role model for journalists worldwide. We are thrilled to honor her and celebrate her role as incoming moderator of Meet The Press.”
Like many prominent national news personalities, Welker started her career in local news, holding on-air roles at ABC and NBC affiliates in Rhode Island, California and Pennsylvania before settling into the weekend anchor chair at WCAU in Philadelphia. Welker joined NBC News in 2010 as a correspondent based in Los Angeles, and arrived in Washington D.C. the following year as a correspondent. Her current role at NBC News is as chief White House correspondent.
The Fourth Estate is the top honor bestowed on a journalist by the National Press Club Board of Governors. Previous winners include: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Wolf Blitzer, and Clarissa Ward, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, NBC News’ Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell, the late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, former CBS News chief Susan Zirinsky, the late PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill, former New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet, and former Washington Post editor Marty Baron.