NBC - DATELINE PRAISED, CONDEMNED AT AWARDS PROGRAM

Columbia University, which hands out the annual Alfred I. duPont Awards for Journalism Excellence each year, presented one award Wednesday night to NBC's Dateline and another award to a Texas TV station for a feature that condemned the NBC magazine show. Dateline received the award for an August 2006 feature titled "The Education of Ms Groves," about a neophyte Atlanta teacher's struggles with her first-grade class. Shortly thereafter, an award was presented to Dallas TV station WFAA, an ABC affiliate, for a feature titled "Television Justice," which condemned Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" series. TV Newser reported Thursday that several NBC executives, including NBC News President Steve Capus, walked out of the ceremony before the WFAA award was presented, then returned afterwards.

18/01/2008