On Wednesday, Washington D.C.’s museum to journalism, the Newseum, announced the 2017 recipients of its second annual Free Expression Awards. The honorees at the April event will be a eclectic mixture of ABC anchor Martha Raddatz, Democratic Congressman John Lewis, Becket Fund for Religious Freedom director Krisina Arriaga, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
The selection of Arriaga for the Religious Freedom Award was a particularly surprising choice for the liberal media shrine given that she led the legal fight against ObamaCare’s controversial contraception mandate on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
On its website, the Newseum’s biography of Arriaga emphasized her work as a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, but failed to mention her effort to preserve religious freedom under assault within the United States by the Obama administration.
In a May 20 interview with National Review, Arriaga discussed the importance of the bringing the Catholic nuns’ case before the Supreme Court: “When I work for the Little Sisters, I believe I am working for and protecting the rights of all Americans who want to serve others. If the government can tell the Sisters they must violate their faith, what will the government be able to tell the rest of us?”
According to TVNewser, ABC’s Raddatz will be “honored for vast oversees reporting experience as well as moderating several debates: two primary debates, the vice presidential debate in 2012 and the second presidential debate in October.” Congressman Lewis will be “receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.” Hefner will be honored for his “passionate advocacy of First Amendment rights.”
