Institutional Award: Cable News Network (CNN) for Its Coverage of the Soviet Coup

On Sunday, August 18, 1991 CNN broke the news to the world of an attempted takeover of the government of the Soviet Union. From that moment CNN’s coverage of the Soviet coup attempt became a major means by which the world and the Soviet citizenry followed the dramatic and frightening events. From its bureau in Moscow which followed the fate of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, to the small television station in Maine that permitted CNN to carry President Bush’s warning to the junta leaders, the worldwide resources of CNN were devoted to covering the events that signaled the end of an empire. In the tradition of outstanding comprehensive coverage established during the 1980s for events such as the Reagan assassination attempt, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, and the student revolt in China, CNN continues its tradition of excellence as the international channel of record for breaking news. For its coverage of the Soviet coup, a Peabody to Cable News Network.