Schieffer Wins NPC's Coveted Fourth Estate Award

Bob Schieffer, the longtime host of “Face the Nation” on CBS, has been named the 38th winner of the National Press Club’s highest honor, the Fourth Estate Award.

The Club’s Board of Governors unanimously voted to give the award to Schieffer for his exemplary career at CBS as well as his extraordinary contributions to journalism and the Club over the years, said NPC President Alan Bjerga.

Schieffer has served as CBS' chief Washington correspondent since 1982. In addition, he hosted the CBS Evening News before Katie Couric took over the anchor's chair, handled every major beat in the CBS Washington bureau, moderated two presidential debates and won seven Emmy Awards.

“He has had as outstanding a career as anyone in broadcast journalism today,” Bjerga said. “Anyone who knows Bob Schieffer knows that he has served the profession of journalism extraordinarily well. He has always been a mentor and role model for younger journalists, and he has been an active Club member for years.”

Schieffer will be toasted – and roasted – at an Oct. 15 dinner. Details about ticket availability will be forthcoming. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Club’s Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library and its training programs.

Each year the National Press Club honors a journalist for his or her lifelong contributions to the profession. Past winners of the Fourth Estate Award include Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw and Helen Thomas.