PHIL BALBONI

Philip Scribner Balboni was born on February 15, 1943 in Norwood Massachusetts. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Boston College in English literature, with minors in philosophy and French literature. He served in the United States Army for 2 years, including a tour in Vietnam.  He went on to become a Ford Foundation Fellow at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In 1967 he started his journalism journey as a reporter for The Richmond Times-Dispatch, followed by a role as a correspondent and editor at United Press International. In 1992 Balboni founded and was president of NECN (New England Cable News), the nation's largest regional news network. NECN achieved recognition for its excellence in local and regional news. In 2008, he founded GlobalPost, a pioneering digital news site focused on international reporting. Under his leadership, GlobalPost received numerous accolades, including the George Foster Peabody Award, Edward R. Murrow Awards for international video reporting, Polk and Overseas Press Club Awards for coverage of the Syrian and Libyan civil wars, the Edwin Hood Diplomacy Award from the National Press Club, and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. He successfully sold GlobalPost to the WGBH Educational Foundation in 2015. Balboni has earned numerous prestigious awards in American journalism, including multiple Peabody, duPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow, and Emmy awards. He has also received two awards for lifetime service to the First Amendment from the Radio Television Digital News Association and the New England First Amendment Coalition. Additionally, has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, the Silver Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Yankee Quill Award from the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015.