1998 George Foster Peabody Awards

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

Coverage of Africa:

• National Public Radio
• A second Peabody Award to Charlayne Hunter-Gault for excellence in international reporting, from an undercovered and often misunderstood region of the world.

Sisterhood of Hope:

• WHAS Radio, Louisville, Ky.
• Reporter Mary Jeffries provides a revealing and touching portrait of the House of Ruth, a local organization that ministers to HIV/AIDS-infected women and their families.

I Must Keep Fightin': The Art of Paul Robeson:

• National Public Radio
• A powerful portrait of an important cultural, historical and political figure of the 20th century.

Performance Today:

• National Public Radio
• In recognition of more than a decade of entertaining and enlightening listeners and making serious music both contemporary and accessible.

The Reckoning:

• CBS News/Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel
• For nearly two decades, correspondent Carol Marin and producer Don Moseley have documented the inspiring story of burn victim Joel Sonnenberg and his family with compassion, care and commitment.

Christiane Amanpour:

• International Reporting on Cable News Network and CBS News: 60 Minutes
• Additional Peabody Award recognition for a truly heroic television journalist, whose passion for her work, and whose compassion for her subjects, set her apart.

The Olympic Bribery Scandal:

• KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah
• The groundbreaking investigation led by reporter Chris Vanocur into the policies and practices of the International Olympic Committee that has had local and worldwide implications.

FRONTLINE: Washington's Other Scandal:

• WGBH/FRONTLINE, Washington Media Associates and Public Affairs Television
• With exceptional reportorial and storytelling skill, correspondent Bill Moyers reveals the corrupting influence of fund raising in the electoral process.

About Race:

• KRON-TV, San Francisco
• A locally produced program that makes a significant contribution along the path to racial understanding, and does so with the highest level of production excellence.

The Human Body:

• BBC and The Learning Channel
• A voyage through the seven ages of man and woman that is full of good science, keen insight and an ever-present wit.

Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery:

• WGBH-TV, Boston
• A remarkable achievement that documents, dramatizes and presents revealing new information about the tragedy of slavery in America.

Travis:

• ITVS and City People Productions
• Under the skillful direction of Richard Kotuk, this lovingly produced film presents an extraordinary portrait of an extraordinary boy, who finds joy in life despite the challenges of full-blown HIV/AIDS.

Frank Lloyd Wright:

• Florentine Films and WETA-TV, Washington, D.C.
• Ken Burns and Lynn Novick bring new insight into the life's work of this fascinating and complex titan of American architecture.

When Good Men Do Nothing:

• BBC, London, and WGBH-TV, Boston
• The comprehensive inside story of how well-meaning journalists, bureaucrats, politicians and average citizens set the stage for the Rwandan genocide.

American Masters: Alexander Calder:

• Thirteen/WNET, New York and Florentine Films/Sherman Pictures
• A delightful and engaging program that captures the joyful exuberance the artist displayed throughout his life and in his work.

Cold War:

• Jeremy Isaacs Productions and CNN Productions, Atlanta
• A fascinating, multi-part television series, with in-depth CD-ROM and Internet materials, that is destined to become the definitive record of this era in global history.

The American Experience: Riding the Rails:

• The American Experience and The American History Project/Out of the Blue Productions Inc. and WGBH Educational Foundation
• A series of evocative stories about the legions of teenage hobos who hopped freight trains in search of work or adventure during the Great Depression.

Dateline NBC: Checks and Balances:

• NBC News, New York
• As more and more Americans move from welfare to work, serious questions remain about the transition, and those questions are addressed with unique insight in this Dateline NBC presentation.

The American Experience: America 1900:

• The American Experience, David Grubin Productions Inc. and WGBH Educational Foundation
• With historical perspective, informed analysis and sheer beauty, this program reviews the confidence, optimism and anxiety that marked America at the turn of the last millennium.

Christopher:

• WANE-TV, Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Local television of significant accomplishment, this riveting report provides a rare and unique glimpse into the professional and personal issues raised by organ donation.

The Bear:

• TVC and Channel 4, London
• More than a children's program, this is a wonderfully inspiring story told with stirring music and beautiful animation.

HBO Sports Documentaries:

• Home Box Office, New York
• From Sugar Ray Robinson to Joe DiMaggio, to the glory days of the American Basketball Association and the inglorious days of early college basketball, Home Box Office is recognized for its ongoing and consistently superb series of sports documentaries.

Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist:

• Comedy Central, Tom Snyder Productions Inc. and Popular Arts Entertainment, in association with HBO Downtown Productions
• Quirky and often hilarious animation for adults that chronicles the off-kilter life of a hapless psychiatrist with a unique clientele.

Mobil Masterpiece Theatre: King Lear:

• A Chestermead Production for the BBC, London and WGBH-TV, Boston
• Shakespeare's ageless, resonating story retold in a stark and engrossing fashion, and marked by marvelous performances.

Shot through the Heart:

• Home Box Office, New York
• The continuing tragedy in Yugoslavia is vividly realized by director David Attwood in this true story of two best friends who devolve into desperate, murderous enemies.

The Baby Dance:

• Showtime Networks Inc, Egg Pictures and Pacific Motion Pictures
• A superb film for television that depicts the complexities of open adoption, as well as the great social divides that still exist in contemporary America.

The Practice:

• ABC, David E. Kelley Productions
• While the courtroom drama is a time-honored tradition in television, “The Practice” brings new vitality, freshness and relevance to the form.

NYPD Blue: Raging Bulls:

• ABC, Steven Bochco Productions
• A powerful episode from a series of ongoing excellence that depicts racial intolerance among police officers, and the impact it can have in the station house and in the society at large.

Ally McBeal:

• Fox, David E. Kelley Productions
• A program that resonates with audience members of all ages for its inventive and often-skewed depictions of sex and sexuality, power and workplace relationships.

The Larry Sanders Show: Flip:

• Home Box Office and Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
• Destined to become a television classic, the last episode of this Peabody Award-winning series emulates, lampoons and ultimately attains the same memorable status as the finales of other long-running programs.

Linda Ellerbee, Host of Nick News:

• As host of Nick News, Linda Ellerbee provides important explanations and interpretations of news events for children that are instructive for adults as well, and reflect only the most recent examples of the consistent excellence achieved by this leading broadcast journalist.

Jac Venza:

• For more than four decades, Jac Venza has been a driving force in the presentation of cultural and arts programming on television, whose growing list of accomplishments includes Dance in America, Theater in America, Great Performances and American Masters, of which he is one.

Robert Halmi, Sr.:

• Perhaps the last of the great network television impresarios, Robert Halmi, Sr. is recognized for his uncompromising vision and for his commitment to excellence in the presentation of classic and contemporary drama on commercial television.