Three months after ASU hosted the final debate for the 2004 presidential election, two broadcast journalism professors are being honored for their debate coverage.
Journalism professors Bill Silcock and Mike Wong received the Broadcast Education Association's 2004 Award of Excellence for their work on "Backstage at a Presidential Debate: The Press, The Pundits & The People," a documentary offering an inside view of the media frenzy during a debate.
The documentary aired on KAET/Channel on 8 Nov. 2.
The Award of Excellence is a personal landmark for the two professors, Silcock said.
The award, which was given out by the 1,400 members of the broadcast association from universities across the country, shows that the professors' peers consider them valuable members of the broadcast journalism community.
"It's nice to be recognized by the industry on a national level," Wong said.
ASU Assistant Director of Media Relations Carolyne Kennedy said the award was deserved.
"Professors Silcock and Wong accurately portrayed the scope and scale of the effort," she said. "It was a gigantic, complex project, and the documentary crew captured something from virtually every aspect."
Wong, Silcock and Cronkite school Interim Director Steve Doig decided to document the presidential debate during the summer, Silcock said.
"The documentary was part creativity, tremendous organizational skills and luck," Silcock said.
"We were excited, yet anxious, only because it was a huge project with little time to produce it [six to eight weeks]," Wong added. "But we did it, and it aired and now it's being recognized."
Faculty members who receive such a highly regarded award also brings prestige to ASU and the Cronkite school, Kennedy said.
The award shows that the "faculty isn't just a bunch of 'has beens' telling war stories about journalism years ago," Silcock said. "The professors are still alive and kicking, facing deadline pressure, getting facts straight and doing all the things they teach in the classroom out in the real world."
Silcock and Wong will receive their award at the Broadcast Education Association's annual convention in Las Vegas on April 21.
Reach the reporter at brenna.miller@asu.edu.
