News Releases

RTNDA President Cochran to Receive First Amendment Award from Matrix Foundation

WASHINGTON—Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, will receive the Edith Wortman First Amendment Award from The Matrix Foundation. The award will be presented September 27, during the Association for Women in Communications conference in Washington. The Matrix Foundation is affiliated with the Association for Women in Communications, an organization of professional communicators founded in 1909.

The Edith Wortman First Amendment Award honors individuals working to support the First Amendment and First Amendment rights.  Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, will also receive the Edith Wortman First Amendment Award on September 27.  Previous honorees include Jane Kirtley and John Seigenthaler Sr.

As president of RTNDA, Cochran has made protecting the First Amendment rights of reporters and the public the association’s highest priority. She has led RTNDA’s efforts to open state and federal courts to cameras and microphones and was instrumental in convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to make audiotapes available immediately following oral arguments in significant court cases starting with Bush v. Gore in 2000.  Working on behalf of electronic journalists, Cochran has fought intrusive regulation of news content. During her tenure, a federal appeals court rescinded the FCC’s personal attack and political editorializing rules, a case that had haunted broadcasters for 20 years. She has testified before Congress on reporters’ privilege, cameras in the courts and protecting press and public access to government information after 9/11.

Cochran’s journalism career includes work in print, radio and television news. Cochran began her career at the Washington Star as a copy desk trainee and eventually moved up to managing editor. She then went from print to broadcast journalism in 1979 when she became news director and vice president of news at National Public Radio, where she supervised the creation of Morning Edition. In 1983, Cochran joined the television ranks as political editor for NBC News, and later was executive producer of Meet the Press. Prior to joining RTNDA in 1997, Cochran was vice president of news and Washington bureau chief at CBS News, where she directed the network’s coverage of the Bush and Clinton administrations.  In addition to RTNDA, Cochran’s advocacy work includes her role as one of the founding members of the International Women’s Media Foundation.

RTNDA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network news executives in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries.