Gayle King receives Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism

“CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University on Tuesday.

The award, named after the late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, honors leading figures in journalism.

“(King’s) approach to covering important events and interviewing politicians, executives and celebrities is unparalleled,” said Battino L. Batts Jr., Dean of the Walter Cronkite School.

At a ceremony in Phoenix, King told the audience how his father made the family watch the “CBS Evening News” every night, which sparked his love of journalism.

“Walter Cronkite walked into the living room to report the news, and people believed he was telling them the truth,” she said. “My dad was one of those people. He died when I was a freshman in college, but I really can’t stop thinking about him today because he would be so proud of this moment: A, that I even work at CBS, let’s start with that, then B, that I’m standing here to receive the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.”

About 1,000 people attended the ceremony, the school said. While King’s close friend Oprah Winfrey was not in the audience, she sent a message to King, who is editor of “Oprah Daily.”

“I don’t know anyone who deserves this award more than you, because I don’t know any other human being on planet Earth who is more curious, more compassionate, more concerned about other people’s stories,” Winfrey said in a pre- recorded video.

Previous recipients of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism include CBS founder William Paley, longtime CBS chairman Frank Stanton and former “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley.