FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Abby Fenton
Tel: 703/236-9292
Cell: 571/268-5223
Email: afenton@wjla.com
ABC7 NEWS ANCHOR MAUREEN BUNYAN KNIGHTED
The Netherlands Honor local News Legend with Dutch
Order of Chivalry
Arlington, VA, June 16, 2014 - ABC7/WJLA-TV is pleased to announce that ABC7 News
Anchor Maureen Bunyan was knighted and inducted into The Order of Orange-Nassau,
a Dutch civic order. The Order of Orange-Nassau is a chivalric honor given to those who deserve recognition for exemplary contributions to society. Maureen Bunyan was born in
Aruba which is part of the Dutch Kingdom.
The ceremony took place on Friday June 13, 2014. At the ceremony, Ambassador H.E.
Rudolf Bekink read a decree by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander.
"It is an honor to induct Maureen Bunyan into the Order of Orange-Nassau, one of the
highest honors the Dutch government can bestow. Ms. Bunyan's life exemplifies the
highest commitment to helping the people of Aruba and Washington, D.C. and building
bridges between the Kingdom and the United States," said Ambassador Rudolf Bekink.
Maureen Bunyan was inducted as a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau for her
longstanding commitment to build and strengthen ties between Aruba and the United
States. Over the years, Bunyan has used her extensive network and experience as a
journalist to mentor young Arubans, and create educational opportunities with the
Aruban Ministry of Education and American universities such as Harvard University.
Her lifelong commitment and work have contributed to the benefit of Aruba's social
and cultural development.
"Maureen does so much for so many people here in the DC region it is hard to believe
that she has time left over to devote to projects in Aruba" says ABC7 General Manager
Bill Lord. "We're all very proud that Maureen is part of the ABC7 family and we congratulate
her on this outstanding achievement."
Bunyan is a 44-year veteran of television news who anchors the 6 o'clock weeknight
newscasts for ABC7/WJLA-TV.
She is known as a leader in the newsroom and an advocate for women and minorities in journalism. She is a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a founder of the International Women's Media Foundation.
In recognition of her contributions to broadcasting she has been inducted into the NABJ
Hall of Fame and honored with numerous professional and community service awards.
The knighting and induction into The Order of Orange-Nassau took place during a private reception at the Residence of the Dutch Ambassador in Washington, DC.
In addition to ABC7 and the local cable news channel in Washington, News Channel 8,
WJLA's owner, Allbritton Communications Company and its affiliates operate ABC
Network stations in Harrisburg, Little Rock, Tulsa, Birmingham, Lynchburg and
Charleston, SC, as well as the political newspaper and website POLITICO and POLITICO.com.
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