CBS Mornings Co-Host Gayle King received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism at Arizona State University on February 21, 2023. According to the university’s website, the award is presented to “a leading figure in journalism.” Previous recipients include Al Roker and Bob Woodward.
“I am honored to accept the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. The work myself and other journalists do is important, but I don’t do it alone. My colleagues at CBS News also share in this honor and I’m inspired by the unique and meaningful stories we tell,” King said prior to receiving the award on Tuesday.
“Thank you for this award and I hope to inspire others when I meet the students at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in February.”
King is a veteran in journalism with more than 40 years of experience in print, digital and broadcast media. She began her career as a production assistant at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland before becoming a reporter at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. From there, the Chevy Chase, Maryland native worked her way through smaller markets like Kansas City, Missouri and Hartford, Connecticut. Ultimately, King broke through to a national audience when she became a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show. On the show, she reunited with Oprah Winfrey, who she worked with as a production assistant at WJZ-TV previously. Since then, King has gone on to host shows on OWN, SiriusXM, CBS and beyond. Along the way, she has conducted interviews with Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Tina Turner.
“Gayle King’s career and accomplishments are remarkable, and her professionalism embodies everything that Walter Cronkite valued in journalism,” Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Battinto L. Batts Jr. said.
“Her approach to covering important events and interviewing politicians, leaders and celebrities is unparalleled. It’s an honor to present Gayle with this prestigious award.”
