The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), formerly the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), is a United States-based membership organization of radio, television, and online news directors, producers, executives, reporters, students and educators. Among its functions are the maintenance of journalistic ethics and the preservation of the free speech rights of broadcast journalists.
The RTDNA is known for the Edward R. Murrow Award, given annually since 1971 for excellence in electronic journalism, and the Paul White Award, presented annually since 1956 as its highest award, for lifetime achievement.
The RTDNA was founded in 1946 (as the National Association of Radio News Editors) as an industry group to set standards for the nascent field of broadcast journalism, and to defend the First Amendment in instances where broadcast media was being threatened. It adopted its current name in early 2010.
Murrow famously gave a speech at an RTNDA event held in his honor in 1958. The speech was harshly critical of the network television establishment of the day, and its emphasis on popular entertainment rather than news and public affairs programming. This speech was the cornerstone of the plot of the 2005 motion picture Good Night, and Good Luck.
The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrows Awards since 1971. Murrow’s pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the electronic news profession
Kaleidoscope Awards (formerly UNITY Awards)
RTDNA honors outstanding achievements in the coverage of diversity with the Kaleidoscope Awards The award was developed as part of RTDNA's commitment to achieve diversity in the newsroom through developing news content and editorial staffs that reflect the changing face of communities. The purpose of the award is to encourage and showcase journalistic excellence in covering issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity. It is presented annually to news organizations that show an ongoing commitment to covering the diversity of the communities they serve.