“CBS Sunday Morning” anchor Jane Pauley, documentarian Alex Gibney to receive lifetime Emmy honors

“CBS Sunday Morning” host Jane Pauley and documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney will receive lifetime achievement honors at ceremonies to be held for the 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.

Pauley will be honored at the News ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 25; Gibney, at the Documentary ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Adam Sharp, the president and CEO of NATAS, called the two “revered icons” of the industry. “Jane Pauley and Alex Gibney continue to reach viewers while at the same time opening doors for those coming behind them,” said Sharp. “This honor is not only about impressive longevity in a competitive space, but also the broad and sweeping impact each has had on the business, their audiences, and the greater community.” 

Pauley’s career as a broadcast journalist spans more than 50 years. She was host of NBC’s “Today” show (1976 to 1989), and was a co-founding anchor of “Dateline NBC.” She also hosted the daytime series “The Jane Pauley Show.” In 2016, Pauley became the third anchor of the long-running “CBS Sunday Morning,” following original anchors Charles Kuralt and Charles Osgood.

Among the most notable of Pauley’s interview subjects while at CBS News were Hillary Rodham Clinton; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman; the first joint interview with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff; late-night host David Letterman; actor and advocate for Parkinson’s research Michael J. Fox; actress Julia Roberts; author Stephen King; and her husband, “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau.

Pauley previously received four Daytime Emmy Awards, five News & Documentary Emmys, and a Sports Emmy. Her other honors include the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievement, and the Gracie Allen Award from the Foundation of American Women in Radio & Television. She is a member of the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame.  

She is author of two New York Times bestsellers: a memoir, “Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue” (2004), and “Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life” (2014). A longtime spokesperson for mental health. Pauley, who had advocated for children’s health and education, is chair of the Children’s Heath Fund advisory board.

Expressing gratitude for the academy’s recognition, Pauley called the award “the honor of a lifetime. My career has been a shared experience made possible by partnerships with the best in journalism and collaborations with its most inventive minds. Change and opportunity have been the constants. My career has not been a steady ascent but a winding path leading to my crowning achievement as host of ‘CBS News Sunday Morning.'”

Gibney received an Academy Award for best documentary for his 2008 feature “Taxi to the Dark Side.” His other features include “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God,” “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson,” “The Armstrong Lie,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks,” “Steve Jobs: The Man in The Machine,” “Casino Jack and the United States of Money,” “Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown,” “Zero Days,” “Citizen K,” “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” and “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.”

Most recently, Gibney directed the film “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.”

Gibney’s company, Jigsaw Productions, was also responsible for the series “Dirty Money,” “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” “The Clinton Affair,” “Enemies: The President, Justice & the FBI,” “The New Yorker Presents,” and his two-part feature documentary, “Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker.”

Gibney said that he was “grateful, humbled and deeply honored by this award. While it has my name on it, it is also a powerful recognition of the work of my collaborators over the years, including my producers, cinematographers and, most especially, editors.”

Both ceremonies will take place live at the Palladium Times Square in New York City, and will be streamed live at watch.theemmys.tv, as well as via The Emmys apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku.

Watch this 2015 “Sunday Morning” story in which Alex GIbney is interviewed by Jane Pauley: