Bob Abernethy, Host of the PBS Series Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, to Be Honored at the 13th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Dinner on June 8

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Jun 04, 2015, 12:07 ET

NEW YORK, June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, June 8, veteran television news correspondent Bob Abernethy, the host and executive editor of the PBS series Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, will be honored with the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award by The Interfaith Center of New York.

The Interfaith Center of New York is the non-profit organization that seeks to make New York City and the World safe for religious difference by increasing respect and mutual understanding among people of different faith, ethnic and cultural traditions. At the ceremony of the 13^th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards, which will be held at Tribeca Rooftop, he will be recognized for "his awareness of religion as a major and growing component of daily national and international stories and for creating and broadcasting a news program which captures the imagery and makes religion and ethics relevant to a viewing audience."

The evening, to be hosted by comedian Dean Obeidallah, will also honor Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.; Founder and President of Rainbow PUSH Coalition and James Venturi, the innovator, documentary filmmaker and urban planner.

Some of the previous recipients of this honor include: former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Wynton Marsalis, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nicholas Kristof, and Bill and Judith Moyers among others.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is network television's only weekly series on religion's role in American life, international news and major ethical issues. To take Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly beyond the television broadcast and further explore the themes, stories and personalities of religion and ethics news, a companion website (pbs.org/religionandethics) features video of each weekly program and individual stories, transcripts of reports and interviews, related articles and additional resources, as well as exclusive "web-only" material.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers.

Arnold Labaton is Executive Producer. Bob Abernethy is Host/Executive Editor. Kim Lawton is Managing Editor. Stephen Segaller is Executive-in-Charge.

Major funding for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. with additional support from Mutual of America Life Insurance Company and individual supporters.

About WNET
As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.