1992 duPont-Columbia Award Winners
In a special program, the duPont-Columbia University Awards announced 1 Gold Baton recipient and 12 additional winners.
GOLD BATON - Bill Moyers for Four Documentaries on PBS and Public Affairs Television
Bill Moyers is a singular independent voice in broadcast journalism on a broad agenda of issues, as exemplified this year alone by four programs: After the War, The Home Front, Beyond Hate, and Amazing Grace. Moyer’s commitment to investigative journalism, especially the long-form documentary, endures at a time when it is an endangered species.
"After the War," a one-hour special report aired June 18, 1991, counters the popular vision of the Gulf War as an American triumph. By comparing claims of military accuracy with film and eyewitness testimony about death and destruction in Iraq, Moyers tempers the elation of an Allied victory. The broadcast also examines the political miscalculations of American policy in leaving Shiite and Kurdish rebels stranded when U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq.
"The Home Front," a one-hour report taped during the ground war in the Persian Gulf, contrasts the human struggles being ignored in the United States with American military and political might in the Middle East. From a suburban couple’s desperate search to find a job to interviews with homeless men in New York and profiles about ever scarcer human services, Moyers captures the irony of spending billions on war while so many needs at home go unmet.
"Beyond Hate" explore the phenomenon of hate as seen through the experiences of victims of hate crimes, gang leaders in Los Angeles, skinheads in Oregon, high school students in Brooklyn, and a young Arab and a young Israeli, as well as in discussions with world leaders engaged in a philosophical debate. In this 90-minute broadcast, Moyers brings out the commonality of hate, prompting viewers to examine their own attitudes.
"Amazing Grace" is a 90-minute film about the evolution and power of the famous inspirational hymn. Sung in many variations by ordinary individuals, choirs and famous singers, its history is portrayed through time and locale. Moyers always returns to the core of the tale --that is song of salvation was written by the prosperous English slave ship captain who became a repentant country preacher.
Gulf War Coverage - Peter Jennings & ABC News
Peter Jennings and ABC News went beyond the available breaking news coverage to examine the background and implications of the war.
Reports from Baghdad - CNN
With his courageous reporting under fire from inside Iraq, when he was the only broadcast reporter there, Peter Arnett provided an antidote to other coverage of the Gulf War.
Land or Death - KBDI-TV
Reaching beyond state borders, KBDI-TV (Denver, CO) documents the story of a little-known community of Mexican-Americans in the Chama Valley of New Mexico, who use civil disobedience to fight off developers.
Wards of the State - KPIX-TV
KPIX tracked juvenile offenders for five years, making clear that the treatment these boys received failed them and the state as well.
Cloud of Concern - KWWL-TV
A nine-month investigation exposed the dangers of the chemical fertilizer anhydrous ammonia, widely used and stored in this agricultural community.
Coverage of the Gulf War - NPR
In the tradition of great descriptive war reporting on radio, National Public Radio deployed its correspondents and staff to cover the war on all fronts, at home and in the Middle East. Adding 24-hour newscasts and more than 100 special programs, NPR provided comprehensive news and analysis that was extraordinarily vivid and informative. NPR had its share of exclusives and took many risks on the front lines to get them.
If you have recordings of this coverage, please contact the duPont-Columbia Awards.
Weapons of the Spirit - Pierre Sauvage
American filmmaker Pierre Sausage returns to the village of Le Chambon, his birthplace in southern France, to exaime why and how its citizens were able to hide 5,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi occupires during World War II.
High Crimes and Misdemeanors - Frontline on PBS
This 90-minute investigative report amasses for the first time on television the documented evidence to explain how the Reagan Administration conducted the covert operations known as the Iran-Contra affair.
The Civil War - Ken Burns | WETA-TV | Florentine Films
In 11 hours of superb filmmaking, Ken Burns uses every possible tool to reconstruct and chronicle the terrible years of the American Civil War.
Gulf War Coverage - WFAA-TV
Devoting a great deal of its staff and resources to covering the war at home and in the Middle East, WFAA broke stories others missed.
Innocence Lost - Frontline on WGBH-TV
This two-hour documentary was exceptional in the careful way it revealed how charges of sexual abuse in a day-care center tore apart the once idyllic town of Edenton, North Carolina.
Explorer: The Urban Gorilla - WTBS-TV
A stunning testimony to the compassionate qualities of gorillas as they adapt to modern "natural" zoo habitats.