The New York Times reported two colleges decided on Friday to withdraw their recent journalism honors for sexually harassing CBS morning anchor and PBS talk show host Charlie Rose.
Arizona State University’s journalism school announced it was rescinding the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, named after the longtime CBS Evening News anchor, that it gave to Rose in 2015.
In a statement, Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State, said he believed Mr. Rose’s alleged assaults on women were “so egregious that they demand nothing less than a reversal of history.” This was the first time the university had rescinded the award since it started to bestow it in 1984. They haven’t rescinded the Cronkite Award they gave….Brian Williams.
“In rescinding this award, we hope to send an unequivocal message that what Mr. Rose did is unacceptable and that such behavior – far too common in not just media companies but many organizations – must stop,” Callahan added.
Also on Friday, the University of Kansas journalism school said it was taking back its William Allen White National Citation, which it gave him this year. Journalism school dean Ann Brill felt Rose no longer matched the award’s citation: “An American Journalist Who Exemplifies William Allen White Ideals in Service to His Profession and His Community.”
William Allen White (1868-1944) was a liberal Republican editor of the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette.
