Club recalls colorful history of the first Fourth Estate Award
The Fourth Estate Award Gala on Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the National Press Club’s highest award.
The Fourth Estate Award, which recognizing a journalist for a lifetime of quality work, was the brainchild of 1973 Club President Don Larrabee, who honored CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite with the inaugural award on Oct. 20, 1973. As Cronkite stood at the podium to accept the award, news broke about what became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” when President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused and resigned, as did his deputy William Ruckelshaus. Cronkite was confused when people in the audience hastened in and out of the ballroom as he spoke. Finally, someone told him the news.
At Tuesday’s gala, the audience saw a five-minute video about the Fourth Estate Award, including an explanation from Cronkite about what happened that evening as well as highlights of four other past award winners, David Broder, Mary McCrory, Carol Rowan, and Tom Brokaw. The clip came from the Club’s 2008 centennial documentary produced by Jerry and Adam Krell and Meyer Odze.