Veteran journalist and “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker has been named the Los Angeles Press Club’s 2022 Joseph M Quinn Awardee for Lifetime Achievement.
The award will be presented at the 64th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on Saturday, June 25, at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
“It’s been an honor and great responsibility to have spent the last 40 years as a journalist at CBS News where we’ve shone a light on voices and stories that otherwise might have gone unheard. I’m grateful to the L.A. Press Club for including me in this distinguished award that has me joining CBS newsmen Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather,” said Whitaker.
“High quality journalism has never been more important and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to continue sharing these stories with the team on ‘60 Minutes.’”
“Bill Whitaker has delivered compelling stories from all over the world as well as important reports from the home front,” said Los Angeles Press Club President Lisa Richwine.
“We are thrilled to honor such an inspiring, versatile journalist. He represents the highest example of our profession.”
Whitaker was named a “60 Minutes” correspondent in March 2014. The 2021-22 season is his eighth on the broadcast.
Most recently, his coverage tied to the war in Ukraine led him to the heart of Russia’s capital abroad – London – to report on mega-rich oligarchs who hide Vladimir Putin’s money abroad and prop up his regime. Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Whitaker traveled to Madison, Wisconsin where political battles over the 2020 presidential election, and how it was administered, continue to rage.
His investigation into ghost guns highlighted the legal purchases of gun parts that criminals are using to make deadly weapons and avoid licenses and background checks. He reported on the race for a vaccine and drugs to combat the coronavirus and the use of artificial intelligence to track the contagion.
In 2019, Whitaker got the first television interview with sex assault victim Chanel Miller. Earlier that year he was the first to report on the evidence states were using to sue the makers of generic drugs in what state’s attorneys general described as a massive collusion and price-fixing scheme that cost consumers billions.
Whitaker’s investigation with the Washington Post into the origins of the opioid crisis has won more awards than any other “60 Minutes” work. The first report in the two-part series revealed how the DEA’s efforts to curb the epidemic were hampered by a law pushed by drug industry lobbyists. The report was credited with forcing the law’s chief sponsor, a congressman, to withdraw his nomination for the Trump Administration’s drug czar.
The next installment told how the biggest opioid case in U.S. history against one of the world’s largest drug distribution companies was settled by the government in a deal that shocked DEA agents. Among the eight awards the reporting won are the DuPont-Columbia University award, the Peabody, an Emmy, and an RTDNA Murrow award.
In addition to honoring Bill Whitaker, a special First Amendment Award will be presented to Law Professor Susan Seager. The President’s Award for Impact on Media, the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award and The Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism are also part of this evening.
The evening will be dedicated to all journalists in Ukraine and independent journalists in Russia, no longer able to do their jobs.
More than 500 journalists and media executives are expected to attend this event.
Proceeds from the Gala are the largest source of income for the Los Angeles Press Club a 501(c) 3 that speaks for journalists across all media platforms. All contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information, visit www.LApressclub.org or contact Executive Director Diana Ljungaeus at (310) 210-1860 or email Diana-AT-LApressclub.org.