A Black director and PBS NewsHour have won a prestigious Peabody Award for coverage of the Jan. 6th attack at the U.S. Capitol.
Director Mary Lawrence has been working in broadcasting for 42 years and has worked for every major network, including: ABC, CBS, NBC, BET, America’s Black Forum and more. She also is only the second Black woman to direct live national evening news coverage.
“Being in the hot seat of live, history-making coverage is a privilege,” Lawrence said in a statement. “Winning a Peabody for my work is an honor I was not expecting, but I was so pleased to receive the award.”
The George Foster Peabody Awards honor the most powerful journalism in television, radio and online media. In announcing the PBS NewsHour team for its coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, the organization recognized coverage that included on-site reporting from Lisa Desjardins, who interviewed one of the insurrectionists, and White House coverage from Yamiche Alcindor. The Peabody team recognized NewsHour “for documenting a turning point in American democracy with bravery and clarity.”
Lawrence is a native of Cleveland. She received an undergraduate degree in communications from Howard University in 1981.
