The Energy Crisis… An American White Paper

In three hours of unsponsored prime time, more than six weeks before the oil embargo which triggered national awareness of an energy emergency, NBC presented the magnitude and complexity of the crisis fully, fairly, and with exemplary balance. The Energy Crisis epitomized the fundamental ethic of journalism at its best,the conviction that the public, given all the facts, is capable of making up its own mind. The Energy Crisis, sadly, is the capstone of the careers of two of the most gifted members of the broadcasting profession: the program’s gifted producer, Fred Freed, and its equally gifted reporter, Frank McGee, both of them previously honored as Peabody recipients. Fred Freed and Frank McGee have left a legacy to electronic journalism that will endure as long as the medium lives-integrity, conviction, and dedication to truth. A Peabody Award to NBC Television, a special award for The Energy Crisis…An American White Paper.