The Declaration of the Duties and Rights of a Journalist proclaims “the right to information” as a fundamental liberty of every human being. Journalist John King has approached his responsibility to inform the public with vigilance and earnestness.
For the past 20 years, King has given us access to major, international
newsmakers and events through his own immediate, on-the-scene experience. He began his career with the Associated Press, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Oklahoma City bombing, the U.S. military operation to restore the Aristide government to Haiti and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa. In 1991, he was among the first correspondents to report from a liberated Kuwait. He received the top reporting prize of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association for his coverage of the Gulf War.
In 1997, King joined CNN as senior White House correspondent. He led coverage of the September 11 attacks, the 2004 presidential election,
the tax-cut debates and the war on terrorism. As CNN's Chief National
Correspondent, King has interviewed President George W. Bush, First
Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He traveled to the Middle East with Cheney in 2002, when the administration was building support for confronting Saddam Hussein. He traveled with Powell to South Asia to cover the aftermath of the tsunami that took more than 175,000 lives. He was among the witnesses to the devastation along the Gulf Coast caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
John King approaches his work with extraordinary dedication and insight. He has informed us of history-shaping events around the world and provided context to the news, thereby strengthening our democracy. For these contributions, we honor John King by awarding him the Doctorate of Humane Letters and proudly welcome him as a member of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges community.
Contribution: As a member of the press, he has informed us of history-shaping events and provided context to the news.