page_title: Lester Holt
section_title: Awards and honors
hierarchical_section_title: Lester Holt / Awards and honors
caption_attribution_description: Lester Holt being presented the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism by Mark Searle at the 36th Annual Cronkite Award Luncheon at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
context_page_description: Lester Don Holt Jr. is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News following the demotion of Brian Williams, making him the first African-American to solo anchor a weekday network nightly newscast.
  Holt is also known for his moderation of the first Presidential debate of 2016, and was praised for his role in fact-checking false statements.
context_section_description: 1990: Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for his work on CBS's 48 Hours: No Place Like Home.
  2012: Honorary Doctorate from Pepperdine University
  2015: Honorary Doctorate from California State University, Sacramento
  2015: Inducted into the California Hall of Fame on October 28, 2015
  2016: Alan B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year from Montclair State University
  2016: NABJ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists
  2019: Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism
  2020: Honorary Doctorate from Rutgers University
caption: Holt being presented the 2019 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in Phoenix, Arizona.
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