Media women honored by Women's Press Club

PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Dodson

Liz Bishop, Reporter and Anchor, CBS 6 News, is awarded the 2015 Hall of Honor Induction during the Women's Press Club of New York State's 49th Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner at The Water's Edge Lighthouse Restaurant in Glenville on Thursday, Jun...

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The Women’s Press Club of New York honored five local women Thursday at its 49th annual awards and scholarship dinner.

• The night marked Liz Bishop’s induction into the Hall of Honor, which recognizes trailblazing female journalists.

Bishop, who now anchors the 6, 6:30, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts, began at CBS6 as a weekend sportscaster and rose through the ranks to her current position. She was one of the first female reporters allowed into the locker room of the New York Yankees.

“You go through your career and you don’t really think about where it’s going to take you or how it’s going to end up,” she said. “Then after all these years you start looking back at all these great moments and it gives you a chance to really revisit some of the special times in your life.”

• The organization honored Lisa Roberts-Lewis with the Media Person of the Year award for her work and longevity at The Record in Troy.

Roberts-Lewis has worked in journalism for nearly 39 years. She began at The Record in 1976 and became editor in 1999. When The Record and The Saratogian merged newsroom operations in 2013 she became editor of both publications in addition to The Weekender, an entertainment insert.

“I am very humbled and honored,” she said, but added that when she received the call congratulating her on the award, she asked, “Are you sure? Did you run out of people?”

• Susan Arbetter, Emmy Award-winning host and producer of the syndicated public radio program “Capitol Pressroom,” was awarded the 2015 Excellence in Career Achievement Award.

She has broadcast the show from the state Capitol since 2009 and it is heard on more than 20 NPR stations in the area. She also works as director of news and public affairs for WCNY, a Syracuse public broadcaster.

“Eight years ago, I decided I wanted to challenge myself a little further,” Arbetter said. “I jumped off a cliff at that moment, and I am truly enjoying my work.”

• The Women’s Press Club also awarded Zephyr Teachout with the Woman in the Media Award for displaying a positive image in the media. She is currently a constitutional and property law professor at Fordham Law School.

The self-proclaimed feminist came into the public eye in 2014 when she ran against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Although Cuomo won, Teachout received 34 percent of the vote, shocking pollsters who predicted only 26 percent.

• The club also encourages young media professionals, and University at Albany student Madeline St. Amour received a $1,000 scholarship on the basis of her journalistic promise. St. Amour has completed six internships and is an associate news editor for the Albany Student Press.

“I fell in love with news this year,” she said. “I’m looking forward to graduating and using journalism to make the world a better place.”