NPR’s Steve Inskeep to Be Honored at First Amendment Awards

The RTDNA Foundation is thrilled to announce that NPR’s Steve Inskeep, host of Morning Edition and the Up First podcast, will be among the honorees at the 34th annual First Amendment Awards.

The First Amendment Awards will be held March 6 at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event recognizes individuals and organizations for their efforts to promote responsible journalism and preserve the constitutionally guaranteed rights to do so.

The RTDNA Foundation selected Inskeep for this honor, stating: "For more than two decades, Steve Inskeep has developed a reputation as one of journalism’s best interviewers. While many powerful decision-makers seek to use media appearances to trumpet talking points, Steve challenges them at every turn, regardless of title or party. His questions are tough, but fair, and that accountability makes our democracy stronger."

Inskeep has been a host of NPR’s Morning Edition since 2004, where he is known for his compelling interviews with presidents, congressional leaders, and everyday Americans, including Pennsylvania truck drivers, Kentucky coal miners, and Yemeni refugees. His storytelling brings attention to both headline-making events and the voices of those often unheard.

Over his career, Inskeep has hosted Morning Edition from locations across the globe, including New Orleans, Detroit, Cairo, and Beijing. He has covered wars in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen; investigated conflict in Nigeria, earning a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award; and explored immigration with a 2,428-mile journey along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In 2008, Inskeep and NPR’s Michele Norris received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton for “The York Project,” a series of conversations about race during the presidential campaign. He has also been part of NPR teams honored for coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan and has twice received Silver Batons for this work.

Inskeep is the author of four  books: “Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi,” a 2011 exploration of the Pakistani megacity; “Jacksonland,” a history of the conflict between President Andrew Jackson and Cherokee Chief John Ross during the 1830s; “Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War,” and “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America” published in 2023.

A native of Carmel, Indiana, Inskeep graduated from Morehead State University in Kentucky.

Register Now for the 2025 First Amendment Awards

The RTDNA Foundation will be announcing all First Amendment Award honorees over the next couple weeks. The First Amendment Awards will be held March 6 at The Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.