Andrea Mitchell Accepts Career Achievement Award at 85th Peabody Awards

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2 days ago

NBC News chief Washington and chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell received a Career Achievement Award at the 85th Peabody Awards Sunday. In her remarks, Mitchell reflected on her career and the importance of having 'women at every level' in journalism — women who are 'smarter, stronger, and more fearless than we ever were – and more empowered' than ever before.
Mitchell was announced as the award winner in April. The list of past honorees includes Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, Dan Rather, Cicely Tyson and Carol Burnett. She has been with NBC News for nearly five decades and has spent three of those serving as the netowrk's chief foreign affairs correspondent.
She previously won a Peabody Award for her coverage of the Texas abortion ban and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Television Academy at the news and documentary Emmy Awards in 2019.
Mitchell's remarks in full are below:
'Winning this award this year along with my NBC colleagues at SNL clearly shows that Peabody recognizes – people need some good laughs along with their news.'
'In all seriousness, this award means the world to me – not just for what it says about my work, but for what it represents about the importance of journalism.'
'It's been a long journey for women in my profession. Consider this: my first job in a Philadelphia newsroom was as a 'copy boy.' That tells you how rare it was for a woman to be in the room at all, even doing an entry level job.'
'There weren't many women role models in television news back then. I had to fight my way in – and then fight for every promotion after that. I've been thrown out of many venues – from Philadelphia's city hall to the state house in Harrisburg, to the oval office – for asking uncomfortable questions – to the campaign trail with what was then famously called by author Timothy Crouse, 'the boys on the bus.' Covering foreign policy, I've even been physically dragged out of rooms for challenging dictators in places like Damascus and Sudan. What I learned over the years is that if you don't keep trying, you'll never get any answers.'
'Women journalists have certainly come a great distance since those early days. When I look across our newsroom now, I see women at every level – as the President and Executive Vice Presidents of NBC News – as our Washington Bureau Chief – women producers, editors, camera crews, researchers and desk assistants. And no, they are no longer called 'copy boys.''
'I am grateful that many of these terrific journalists worked on my team and have since risen through the ranks to leadership positions. Mentoring the next generations of female journalists has been one of the great joys of my career. And I can tell you, the women journalists of today are smarter, stronger, and more fearless than we ever were – and more empowered.'
'And all of us journalists have to be fearless. It is no exaggeration to say that strong journalism, providing accurate information to the American people, is critical to the survival of our democracy. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to the continental Congress in 1787, 'were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.''
'Whether it is warning communities about an approaching hurricane or informing them about how their elected leaders are responding to an overseas crisis, the work correspondents, producers and photographers do every day saves lives. Literally.'
'So thank you, Peabody and the University of Georgia, for respecting journalism and recognizing the importance of what we do. Thank you for honoring a former 'copy boy' who has never lost her love of chasing after the next story. Thank you to my wonderful husband for his enduring patience with my erratic work life for all these years – and my eternal gratitude to my NBC family, past and present, for believing in me. This award is for all of them.'
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