The Peabody Awards organization said Tuesday that NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award and Saturday Night Live the Peabody Institutional Award as part of the 68th annual Peabody Awards ceremony, set to take place June 1 at the Beverly Wilshire.
Roy Wood Jr is set to host the annual ceremony, which is being held on the West Coast for the first time. The awards, bestowed since 1940, honor the year’s best stories that “defend public interest, encourage empathy and expand our understanding of the world” across the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, immersive and interactive media, and public service programming.
Nominees for the Peabodys will be revealed April 15 and April 17, with winners
announced May 1.
“Andrea Mitchell has been setting the standard for news correspondents with unparalleled coverage of politics and foreign policy for more than three decades. She has quite literally traveled the globe to bring us stories that have shaped history,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, in announcing the honorees. “And Saturday Night Live is a cultural touchstone that has kept audiences tuning in for five decades through its cutting-edge sketch comedy, pinpoint political satire, and always relevant musical guests. We are thrilled to recognize Mitchell and the SNL community with these special Peabody honors.”
Mitchell, a former Peabody winner who joined NBC News in 1978 and has covered every presidential campaign for the network since 1980, signed off from her long-running MSNBC show Andrea Mitchell Reports in February. She remains at NBC News as chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent.
Recent Peabody Career Achievement honorees include Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin and fellow broadcast journalist Dan Rather.
Saturday Night Live is in the middle of celebrating its 50th season on NBC, created by Lorne Michaels who still runs the late-night sketch comedy show. The three-time Peabody winner has also won 101 Emmys, and is likely up for more for the current season after its packed three-hour primetime Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special.
Recent Peabody Institutional Award winners include Star Trek, Today, NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Ava DuVernay’s Array.
