Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Peter Maer will receive the Interfaith Alliance Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award along with Judge William Webster on Tuesday, May 21 in Washington, D.C. The Interfaith Alliance Foundation presents the Cronkite Award to individuals, who through their brave and selfless acts, have defended religious liberty and improved society.
“I am humbled and flattered to receive an award that carries the name of my longtime journalism hero, Walter Cronkite,” said Maer, a Granite City native. “I’m also gratified to be honored by Interfaith Alliance, an organization whose mission Mr. Cronkite so strongly supported following his retirement from CBS News. It will also be special to share the stage with a great American, Judge William Webster.
“Since retiring from CBS News, I have used every classroom opportunity to urge aspiring journalists to oppose all types of bigotry and stereotyping, and to respect the American tradition of religious freedom.”
A long-time White House correspondent, Maer covered the beat from 1986 until his 2015 retirement from CBS News. He was inducted into the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012. He was a member of the first class of SIUE mass communications majors, graduating in 1970. He was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1995 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from SIUE in 2007.
Maer was a voice for national news for more than a quarter century. He provided coverage on presidential politics, and major national and international disasters with honors including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, five Merriman Smith Awards for Presidential Coverage and the Overseas Press Award. Prior to his network career, Maer worked as a reporter at radio stations in St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta where he covered state government and the Civil Rights beat.
Along with being a respected journalist and one of the most trusted men in America, Cronkite supported the Interfaith Alliance Foundation. In 1998, the Foundation publicly thanked Cronkite for his courage and support by establishing the Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award.
The Cronkite Award honors individuals of faith and goodwill who stand up for religious freedom and demonstrate the constructive force of religion in American life. It recognizes those whose courageous actions embody the values of civility, tolerance, and cooperation in the advancement of public dialogue and public policy on traditionally controversial issues. The Award is a demonstration of appreciation for individual accomplishment within the past year, rather than a lifetime achievement award.
Other media members to receive the Cronkite Award include former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, former ABC News anchor Peter Jennings, Larry King of CNN, former PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, journalists Bill and Judith Moyers, and Washington Post writer Sally Quinn.
Photo: Peter Maer.