First Amendment Awards
The First Amendment Awards honor individuals and organizations that exemplify responsible journalism and practice their constitutionally guaranteed duty to seek and report the truth.
About the Awards
The RTDNA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Radio Television Digital News Association, honors those who practice, promote and defend journalism each year at the First Amendment Awards. We celebrate these awards at our First Amendment Awards in March each year in Washington, DC.
Past honorees include local reporters, network anchors, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and multiple U.S. Senators. The awards honor the First Amendment and the bold and brave efforts many take — whether in an instant or throughout their careers — to protect it.
The Foundation works for an America in which the press is able to hold the powerful to account, shine a light on corruption, and act as a catalyst for positive change in local communities without denial of access, undue restriction, or fear of attack. We train and equip local journalists and journalism students to know their rights and seek and report truth ethically — upholding your right to know.
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First Amendment Awards
The 2024 First Amendment Awards will be held in March 2024 in Washington, D.C. More information will be announced in Fall 2023.
RTDNF presents this award annually to a radio or television journalist or news executive who has made a major contribution to the protection of First Amendment freedoms. It is named for the late Broadcasting & Cable senior correspondent, Leonard Zeidenberg.
- 2023: Rashida Jones
- 2022: Mary Louise Kelly
- 2021: Cesar Conde
- 2020: David Muir
- 2019: Shepard Smith
- 2018: Joe Scarborough & Mika Brzezinski
- 2017: Bill Whitaker
- 2016: Cami McCormick
- 2015: Ann Compton
- 2014: Lester Holt
- 2013: Candy Crowley
- 2012: Martha Raddatz
- 2011: Wolf Blitzer
- 2010: Brian Williams
- 2009: Cokie Roberts
- 2008: Bob Schieffer
- 2007: Bob Woodruff and Kimberly Dozier
- 2006: Gwen Ifill
- 2005: Ed Bradley
- 2004: Andrea Mitchell
- 2003: Judy Woodruff
- 2002: Sam Donaldson
- 2001: Jim Lehrer
- 2000: Diane Sawyer
- 1999: Christiane Amanpour
- 1998: Mike Wallace
- 1997: Jane Pauley
- 1996: Carole Simpson
- 1995: Walter Cronkite
- 1994: David Brinkley
- 1993: John Chancellor
- 1992: James Snyder
This award recognizes a journalist or group of journalists who go to extraordinary lengths to provide meaning and context to complicated news stories or issues of extreme public importance.
- 2023: Sarah Koenig
- 2022: Steve Kornacki
- 2020: Lori Montenegro
- 2019: NBC News/MSNBC 2019 “Road Warriors
This award is presented to an individual or organization that takes a public stand in support of press freedom.
- 2020: Senator Richard Blumenthal
- 2019: Senator Amy Klobuchar
- 2018: Congressman Eric Swalwell
- 2016: Tim Tai
This award is presented in recognition of distinguished service to journalism and extraordinary courage.
- 2023: Jeff German
- 2022: Kevin Nishita
- 2019: Jamal Khashoggi
- 2019: Journalists of the Capital Gazette
- 2015: James Foley
- 2015: Steven Sotloff
- 2023: Boyd Huppert
- 2022: Jayne Miller
- 2020: Steve Andrews
- 2019: Dale Hansen
- 2018: Robin Roberts
- 2017: Nina Totenberg
- 2016: Tom Brokaw
- 2015: Bob Simon
- 2014: Bill Plante
- 2012: Andy Rooney