NEW YORK - CBS News won two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism, the university announced today, marking the most awarded to any network's news division since 2005.  CBS News is the only network news division to win the coveted award this year.

     CBS News received one of the venerated silver batons for a series of pivotal interviews with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on the CBS EVENING NEWS conducted by the broadcast's anchor and managing editor Katie Couric.  

     The other was awarded for "CBS REPORTS: Children of the Recession," a multi-platform reporting initiative that began in spring 2009 and was featured over a number of weeks across CBS News television, radio and digital platforms.  The series raised awareness about the effects of the economic downturn on America's youth.

     "CBS News is proud to be recognized with these prestigious awards, representing two very different and singular achievements," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports.  "One award is for a high-profile interview that has become an iconic moment in television journalism and a testament to Katie Couric's excellence.  The other is for a unique division-wide collaboration that presented an important story about the effects of the economic crisis on young people.  By honoring these stories, the jurors and Columbia University help ensure that important, innovative journalism continues, motivating reporters to dig deeper and reach higher in their mission to inform the public."

     The two batons bring the cumulative total of duPont-Columbia Awards for CBS News and its reporters to 48, the most won by any network.

     From the program descriptions for the 2010 duPont-Columbia Awards:

CBS News & Katie Couric

The Sarah Palin Interviews

A series of influential and illuminating television interviews by a skillful veteran reporter

"In a political season full of interviews..., Katie Couric's apt and determined questioning of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin prompted the most revealing remarks and had the greatest impact on the presidential campaign...Couric's nimble questioning and even tone elicited answers on the issues...these were the interviews heard around the world."

CBS News

CBS Reports: Children of the Recession

An extraordinary multi-platform series about the recession's harmful effects on children

"At a time when there was little coverage of the effects of the recession on average Americans, CBS News committed considerable resources in this division-wide effort that exposed the devastating impact of the economic meltdown on those most vulnerable: children.  Using innovative storytelling techniques and reporters and producers from all of their news outlets, the CBS Reports series exposed a wide range of new problems for children...in partnership with USA Today, this series gave children a voice at one of the most challenging times of their young lives."

     The interview with Governor Palin was conducted by Katie Couric, Anchor and Managing Editor of CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC.  It was produced by Matt Lombardi and Jennifer Yuille; edited by Joe Frandino and Mike Cesario; the coordinating producer was Lori Beecher and the associate producer was Brian Goldsmith; Rick Kaplan was the executive producer.

     "CBS REPORTS: Children of the Recession" was a multi-platform effort employing producers, reporters and editors from across the news division including those from THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC, THE EARLY SHOW, CBS WEEKEND NEWS, SUNDAY MORNING, CBSNEWS.com and CBS RADIO.

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Press Contacts:

Jeff Ballabon (CBS News)                                (212) 975-7525           ballabonj@cbsnews.com    

Hilary Lefebvre (CBS Evening News)               (202) 374-6010           lefebvreh@cbsnews.com