CBS News’ Lesley Stahl to be honored at First Amendment Awards
Lesley Stahl, one of America’s most distinguished broadcast journalists, will be among the honorees at the RTDNA Foundation’s 34th annual First Amendment Awards next month.
Stahl, who has spent most of her career at CBS News, joins CNN’s Omar Jimenez, NPR’s Steve Inskeep, ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Ballard Spahr attorney Chuck Tobin, Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Lifetime Achievement recipient Karen DeWitt as honorees at this year’s awards, to be held March 6 at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. The First Amendment Awards honor journalists, organizations and individuals for their dedication to upholding the First Amendment and their commitment to a free press.
The RTDNA Foundation selected Stahl for this honor, stating: “Lesley Stahl is a relentless truth-seeker whose reporting has shaped our understanding of the world for over five decades. With her sharp intellect, fearless interviews, and unwavering commitment to the truth, she has set the gold standard for broadcast journalism. Few journalists have earned as much trust and respect, and even fewer have left such an indelible mark on the profession.”
Stahl is renowned for her groundbreaking political reporting, in-depth investigations, and compelling interviews with global leaders. Over the course of her illustrious career, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including 13 Emmys — one for Lifetime Achievement — the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, the Founders Award for Journalistic Excellence from the International Center for Journalists, and the Radio Television Digital News Association's highest honor, the Paul White Award.
A correspondent for 60 MINUTES for more than three decades, Stahl has covered some of the most significant news stories of our time. In the 2023-24 season alone, she reported from Israel multiple times surrounding the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, became one of the few Western journalists to enter China under President Xi Jinping, and traveled to Tehran for a rare interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Her reporting has taken her to conflict zones such as Iraq, where she covered the plight of Kurdish refugees, and Romania, where she investigated the black market for babies.
Entering her 35th season with 60 MINUTES in 2024-25, Stahl has been with CBS News since 1971. She served as the network’s White House correspondent from 1972 to 1991, covering the Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations, and was the first woman to anchor Face the Nation from 1983 to 1991. Throughout her tenure, she has interviewed key figures such as Margaret Thatcher, Boris Yeltsin, and Yasser Arafat, while frequently contributing to the CBS Evening News alongside Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
Born and raised in Swampscott, Massachusetts, Stahl graduated cum laude from Wheaton College in 1963 with a degree in History. She later served on the college’s board of trustees and is a patron of the New York City Ballet. She resides in New York City and was married to the late screenwriter and author Aaron Latham. They have one daughter and two grandchildren.
(Photo: Michele Crowe / CBS)