Gayle King receives Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism

"CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King was presented with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication on Tuesday.

The award, which is named for the late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, honors leading figures in journalism. 

"(King's) approach to covering important events and interviewing politicians, leaders and celebrities is unparalleled," said Battino L. Batts Jr., dean of the Walter Cronkite School.

At a ceremony in Phoenix, King told the audience how her dad made the family watch the "CBS Evening News" every night, which started her love of journalism.

"Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth," she said. "My dad was one of those people. He passed away when I was a freshman in college, but I really can't help thinking of him today because he would be so proud of this moment: A, that I even work at CBS, let's start with that, and then B, that I'm standing here getting the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism." 

About 1,000 people attended the ceremony, the school said. While King's close friend Oprah Winfrey wasn't in the audience, she sent along a message for King, who is editor-at-large of "Oprah Daily." 

"I do not know of anybody who deserves this award more than you, because I do not know of another human being on the planet Earth who is more curious, more compassionate, more caring of other people's stories," Winfrey said in a pre-recorded video.

Previous recipients of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism include CBS founder William Paley, longtime CBS president Frank Stanton and former "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley.

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• Oprah Winfrey
• Walter Cronkite
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