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NEED TO KNOW
Jon Stewart will receive an award in the new Comedic News and Commentary category at the 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism
Stewart will be recognized for his work on The Daily Show after returning to the late-night comedy program last year following his 2015 exit
Along with Stewart, honorees include MS NOW's Rachel Maddow and 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley, among others
Jon Stewartis breaking new ground at the annual Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism.
The Daily Showhost, 63, will be honored at the ceremony for his work in a new award category: Comedic News and Commentary.
Judges for the awards — which recognize "journalists whose work exemplifies the role of a free press in protecting constitutional principles, defending the rule of law, and holding power to account" — described Stewart as a "pioneer" and "vital voice" in his category.
They noted, "Jon Stewart redefined satire as astute insights based on solid research," and also lauded Stewart as "a master of his class," specifically pointing to hisDaily Showsegment on DOGEand its destructive budget cuts, for which he was nominated.
Stewart "remains relevant, bringing 5 valuable facts to light, advancing public discourse, urging civic action," judges said.
Honorees in the Network News, Analysis and Commentary category include NBC chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander for his reporting from the White House press room;Scott Pelley,Bill Owensand Maria Gavrilovic for their work on the60 Minutessegment"The Rule of Law"; andPBS Newshourco-anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett for their "On Democracy" interview series.
Rachel Maddowwill also be honored in the category for her coverage of the Hands Off protest movement on April 7 on her eponymous show, along with outgoing CBS Evening News Plus anchorJohn Dickersonfor his "Reporter's Notebook" segment and Noticias Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro for his100 Days of Trumpprimetime special.
Pelley notably implied to viewers in a60 Minutesclosing segmentthis spring that the show's parent company, Paramount Global, had begun to push back on some of their more hard-hitting segments, particularly those about the Trump administration.
His remarks came one week after Owens — who previously served as the show's executive producer — resigned from his post, claiming in a memo that he had lost the ability to "make independent decisions" about the show and "what was right for60 Minutes" and its audience.
In the Cronkite Award-honored segment "The Rule of Law," which aired in May, Pelley and his colleagues reported on PresidentDonald Trump's string of orders targeting law firms, all of which had legal cases linked to the president or his allies.
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The Cronkite Awards will also honor KFOR-TV Oklahoma City investigative reporter Spencer Humphrey in the Local News category, and will award NBC Affiliate KSL-TV 5 the 2025 Brooks Jackson Prize for their fact-checking.
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Stewart's recognition comes after he returned toThe Daily Showas a part-time host in February 2024 following his 2015 exit. He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on the show in 2025, receiving nods in both the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series categories.
Stewart last won an Emmy for his work onThe Daily Showduring his final year as full-time host, winning the Outstanding Variety Talk Series award in 2015.
The Walter Cronkite Awards ceremony will take place on Friday, Dec. 12, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Maddow, Pelley, Alexander, Vaqueiro and more will be in attendance.
Stewart and Dickerson are not expected to attend, but will share original video messages at the event.
This year's Cronkite Awards carry added significance for Dickerson and Pelley, who have each anchored the same, historicCBS Evening Newsprogram that made Walter Cronkite a broadcasting legend.
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