CPB salutes Lehrer for career of "straight-forward, honest reporting"

Retiring PBS newsman Jim Lehrer received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CPB Board of Directors during its meeting today in Austin, Texas. The award, only the sixth to be presented by CPB, honors outstanding individual contributions to public broadcasting and public media.

"Through his straight-forward and honest reporting on PBS NewsHour, Jim has helped public media earn its reputation as one of the most trusted organizations in the nation," said Bruce Ramer, CPB chair. "He has become the face of PBS journalism."

Lehrer, who started his public broadcasting career directing news at KERA in Dallas, recently stepped down as lead anchor of the PBS NewsHour. When the weeknightly newscast launched in 1975 as The Robert MacNeil Report, Lehrer was the broadcast's Washington correspondent.

"I am grateful to CPB," said Lehrer, "not just for this award, but for CPB's enduring support for the NewsHour and for making it possible for me to practice our kind of journalism, MacNeil/Lehrer journalism, all these years."