Ted Koppel to Receive WSU’s Murrow College of Communication Lifetime Achievement Award

Media availability:

Ted Koppel will be available to answer questions from the press before his acceptance speech.

• When: Friday, September 23, at 5:15 p.m.
• Where: WSU’s Murrow Hall in Murrow Studio B.

Television news veteran Ted Koppel comes to Washington State University this Friday (Sept. 23) to be honored with the 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcast Journalism and to present the keynote address, “…and Murrow was worried back then!,” during the 37th  Edward R. Murrow Symposium.

The free, public program begins at 7 p.m. in the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum on the WSU Pullman campus.

Koppel may be best known for his work as anchor of ABC’s Nightline—from its launch during the 1980 Iran hostage crisis until he left the network in 2005. Now a news analyst for National Public Radio and a contributor to BBC America, he has been a vocal critic of the current state of American journalism and a champion of the high standards set by Edward R. Murrow.

The subject of his address, “…and Murrow was worried back then!,” derives from his unique perspective as one of the leading broadcast journalists of our time.

“Ted Koppel is a living example of the values that drove Edward R. Murrow,” said Lawrence Pintak, founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at WSU. “He’s a reminder in this age of opinion and factoids that solid, balanced reporting is fundamental to our democracy,” Pintak said.

“I never met Ed Murrow,” said Koppel, “but my life has been bracketed by his influence—first as a boy in London, listening with my father as the BBC re-broadcast some of his wartime reports for CBS—those gave me my first appetite for journalism—and now (by) the great honor of receiving this award that bears his name, which still sets the standard for what broadcast journalism can and should be.”

Koppel began his broadcasting career at WMCA Radio in New York. In 1963, he joined ABC Radio News as their youngest-ever correspondent, reporting for its daily Flair Reports program. One of his first assignments was to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He moved to television in 1966, reporting on the Vietnam War, and has since covered countless headline events, including the tragedies of 9/11 and ensuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During his 42 years at ABC News, Koppel also worked as anchor of The ABC Saturday Night News, as chief diplomatic correspondent, and as Hong Kong bureau chief. He has held a significant reporting role in every U.S. presidential campaign since 1964.

Presented by WSU and The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, the annual symposium recognizes exceptional achievement in communication as it celebrates scholarship and connects students to industry leaders.