TORONTO – Peter Mansbridge, the longtime anchor of CBC's The National, will receive The Canadian Journalism Foundation's (CJF) Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual CJF Awards on June 14 in Toronto.
Past recipients of the award include Jean Pelletier, Lloyd Robertson, Michel Auger, Peter Bregg, Jack Sigvaldason, Lise Bissonnette, Joe Schlesinger, Sally Armstrong, Knowlton Nash, June Callwood, Trina McQueen, Mark Starowicz, Bernard Derome, Peter Gzowski and Robert Fulford.
During his award-winning career, which began in 1968 in Fort Churchill, MB where he helped develop CBC Radio's news service to Northern Canada, Mansbridge (pictured) has anchored coverage of major Canadian and international events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and 34 Canada Day celebrations. He has also covered every federal election since 1972.
Mansbridge wrapped up his five-decade career with the CBC last year after serving as anchor for 29 years on its flagship news program. He also served as the chief correspondent of CBC News, anchored all CBC News specials and hosted the interview show Mansbridge: One on One.
"For most of a career that has spanned half a century, he has been a dominant figure in Canadian journalism," said Historica Canada president and CEO Anthony Wilson-Smith, who also serves as jury chair. "Far more than a newsreader — albeit a very skilled one — he made his bones early as a journalist in the field. Over the years, he also refined his abilities to become a first-rate live interviewer. While his voice is immediately recognizable, the sense in watching his newscasts was that the 'news,' rather than himself, was what mattered most."
More information, including tickets, is available on the CJF Awards page.
