July 13, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT: Nick Massella
massella@gwu.edu; 202-994-3087

GW GLOBAL MEDIA INSTITUTE CAPTURES "GOLD WORLD MEDAL" AT NEW YORK FESTIVALS INTERNATIONAL RADIO AWARDS FOR TRIBUTE TO EDWARD R. MURROW

WASHINGTON - The George Washington University Global Media Institute, affiliated with the School of Media and Public Affairs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences as well as the Graduate School of Political Management in the College of Professional Studies, has been honored with a "Gold World Medal" in The New York Festivals International Radio Awards competition for its "Edward R. Murrow Centennial" program. The forum, which aired on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Federal News Radio and WAMU Public Radio in Washington, D.C., was selected for the highest honor in the Talk Special category. The program was co-sponsored by GW and The Smithsonian Associates.

Edward R. Murrow set the standards for broadcast journalism through his groundbreaking World War II CBS Radio reports from Europe and later his television investigative reports and documentaries. On the 100th anniversary of his birth an extraordinary group came together at GW to celebrate his life and legacy.

Richard C. Hottelet, the last surviving member of the vaunted "Murrow Boys" of World War II, joined Marvin Kalb, GW James Clark Welling Presidential Fellow and the last correspondent personally hired by Murrow at CBS News, and Casey Murrow, Edward R. Murrow's son, for an insightful retrospective. Moderator Michael Freedman, former general manager of CBS Radio Network News and now executive director of the GW Global Media Institute, combined historic audio of Murrow's greatest broadcasts with reflections from those closest to Murrow, to create a compelling program for the medium Murrow loved best - radio.

Freedman, a professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs, commented, "Over 50 years ago, Murrow told us that television can teach, illuminate and even inspire but that it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. As we engage in the current transformation of journalism in the 21st Century, his words ring true when applied to every new media platform. This program allowed us to illustrate why Murrow still matters. He had the courage of his convictions and he led by example. He set a high bar, instilled confidence in his teams and stood behind them when the going got rough. He was beloved and respected. We need that type of leadership today."    

The Murrow Centennial program was presented in GW's Jack Morton Auditorium before a standing-room-only audience of GW students, journalists and members of The Smithsonian Associates. Contributors to the award winning program included producer/announcer Dick Golden and associate producers Heather Date, Sam Litzinger, Karen Hetrick, Maureen Ryan, Kat Bugg, Tom Robins, Matt Saunders, Tracy Schario, Nick Massella, Jill Kasle, Steve Murphy and Binney Levine.

The George Washington University Global Media Institute is helping lead the public dialogue on the transformation of journalism in the 21st Century. The institute produces the highly acclaimed "Kalb Report" public television series in partnership with the National Press Club and Harvard's Shorenstein Center. The institute also produces "GW Presents American Jazz" a two-hour weekly series presented in association with Tony Bennett's Exploring the Arts Foundation, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. The program airs on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and Federal News Radio in Washington, D.C.

For more information about GW's Global Media Institute, visit www.gwu.edu/~gwgmi.

For more information about GW's School of Media and Public Affairs, visit http://smpa.gwu.edu.

For more information about GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.columbian.gwu.edu.

For more information about GW's Graduate School of Political Management, visit www.gspm.org.

For more news about The George Washington University, visit www.gwnewscenter.org.

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