Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are picking up one of journalism’s highest honors. Arizona State University will award the pair the 43rd Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism on February 16.
What We Know: Kornheiser and Wilbon have co-hosted ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption since 2001, taping more than 3,000 episodes. The show remains ESPN’s most-viewed daily studio program and has earned three Sports Emmy Awards. Meanwhile, their partnership began decades earlier at The Washington Post, where Kornheiser joined in 1979 and Wilbon followed in 1980. Both later became columnists there before building their ESPN careers alongside PTI. Wolf Blitzer, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper and many others, have received this prestigious award.
What They Said: Tony Kornheiser: “Mike and I have been doing this together for more than 45 years between our time at The Washington Post and “PTI.” Receiving the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism is unexpected and an incredible honor – and being able to share it with Mike makes it all the more meaningful.”
Michael Wilbon: “To receive an honor bearing Walter Cronkite’s name is humbling, because you immediately think about the standard he set for journalism. And to share it with Tony, my friend and partner for more than four decades, makes it even more special. I’ve been fortunate to call Scottsdale home for a significant part of my life, so I feel a personal connection to the Cronkite School and I’m grateful that this recognition further strengthens that bond.”
What Remains Unclear: The release doesn’t specify how this year’s honorees were selected among candidates.
What It Means: The honor cements Kornheiser and Wilbon’s status as one of sports media’s longest-running duos. ESPN President Burke Magnus called their partnership “one of the most successful” in the genre’s history. For the Cronkite School, the pairing reinforces a legacy tied to fact-based reporting. Ultimately, the award arrives just as “PTI” nears a milestone of its own.
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I didn’t know that show was “journalism.”