PULLMAN, Wash.—Ann Curry, an award-winning journalist, will receive the Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism at the 46th Murrow Symposium on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 held by Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
For more than 30 years, Curry has focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters through her work as an American journalist, photojournalist, and reporter. She has reported on wars throughout the Middle East and Africa, and she was the first network news anchor to report on the refugee crisis caused by the genocide in Kosovo in 1999. She also visited the Republic of Sudan three times between March 2006 and March 2007 to report on the violence and ethnic cleansing occurring in Darfur and Chad. Covering other disasters such as the tsunamis in Southeast Asia and earthquake in Haiti led to her being on Twitter’s top 10 most powerful tweets of the year in 2010.
“Curry’s work stands as a testament to using communication for the common good. I am particularly impressed with her consistent, in-depth reporting on stories concerning the human condition throughout her extensive career,” said Bruce Pinkleton, dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. “Her courageous and essential reporting on the genocide in Darfur demonstrated a desire to use journalism to better the human condition, to hold those in authority to account, and to raise the voices of those ignored by the powerful.”
Curry worked for NBC from 1990 through 2015, first as the NBC News Chicago correspondent and then as the anchor of NBC News at Sunrise from 1991 to 1996. In 1997, Curry became the news anchor for the Today show where she became the show’s second-longest serving news anchor. In 2011, Curry became the national and international correspondent-anchor for NBC News and the anchor at large for the Today show. She was also the anchor of Dateline NBC from 2005 to 2011.
In 2015 Curry left NBC News and founded her own multi-platform media startup. In January 2018, Curry reported and produced the PBS series “We’ll Meet Again,” which featured emotional reunions between people who lived through momentous events in US modern history such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the 9/11 attacks. Curry hosted the TNT series “Chasing the Cure,” which pairs undiagnosed patients with top-tier doctors to help them solve their medical mysteries.
Curry is best known for her global humanitarian reporting and interviews with world leaders, such as Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama. Curry has earned seven Emmys, four Golden Mike awards and three Gracie Allen awards during her journalism career. She is also a recipient of the NAACP’s Award for Excellence in Broadcasting, and the Simon Wiesenthal Medal of Valor for her extensive reporting in Darfur.
In addition to Ms. Curry’s Tuesday keynote speech, additional Murrow Symposium events including workshops, panel discussions, and alumni awards will take place both virtually and in person on Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6. This year’s symposium focuses on ways communicators can elevate silenced voices and build a community where every person, regardless of difference, is valued and included. More information, including how to sign up to attend or participate, can be found on the Murrow Symposium website.
Media Contacts
- Ben Pingel, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, 509-335-2401, ben.pingel@wsu.edu
