FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 19, 2023
PRESS CONTACT: Kenrick Thomas info@wabjdc.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ) announced that Pat Lawson Muse, who recently retired from News4 Washington after more than 40 years, is the recipient of the 2023 WABJ Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award recognizes a Black journalist with a minimum of 15 years in the industry who has or is still making an extraordinary contribution to the enrichment, understanding, or advancement of Black life and culture in the Washington, D.C. area.
Lawson Muse will be honored at the WABJ Special Honors & Scholarship Gala on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Armour J. Blackburn University Center on the campus of Howard University. Tickets for the gala can be purchased here.
“Pat Lawson Muse is a living legend,” said the WABJ Awards Review Committee. “She has been an iconic journalist in D.C. for more than four decades and is the ultimate mentor for many journalists. Her class, grace, empathy—and of course her journalistic chops—make her an outstanding choice for the WABJ Lifetime Achievement Award.”
While attending Howard University, Muse helped launch the campus’ first student radio station. She started her broadcasting career in radio and worked at stations including WTOP-AM, WHUR-FM and National Public Radio. Muse began her TV broadcasting career at WBAL-TV in Baltimore where she worked as an anchor and reporter. After joining NBC4 Washington in the early 1980s, Muse and veteran journalist Barbara Harrison made history as the first all-woman anchor team in the country.
Muse’s work doesn’t end on air. She is very active in the community, having helped many through the NBC4 Food 4 Families campaign and the Backpack 4 Kids program.
She also received many accolades for her work, including EMMY Awards. Muse recently received the 2023 Board of Governors Award from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly honored her with a resolution in recognition of her remarkable career. Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) also honored her as his “Hero of the Week” on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
NBC4 contributed to this statement.
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Founded in 1975, the Washington Association of Black Journalists is an organization of more than 300 Black journalists, educators, public relations professionals and student journalists in the Washington, D.C., metro area. WABJ provides members with ongoing professional development opportunities and advocates for newsroom diversity, equity and inclusion. WABJ was named 2023 Professional Chapter of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists. For more information, please visit www.wabjdc.org.
