The World Company’s 6News has earned the 2005 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.

The Sunflower Broadband news outlet earned the award for its 2004 one-hour Election Special program broadcast last November.

“We feel it’s a testament to the dedication the 6News staff has to Lawrence and our surrounding communities,” said Cody Howard, 6News director. “It’s great to see the excellent work of the news staff in the national spotlight.”

In their unanimous selection of 6News in the national competition, the panel of judges said 6News produced “compelling, candidate-oriented political coverage that informed its voters about local, hot-button issues. 6News proved that resources do not need to be an obstacle to well-produced political coverage.”

The Election Special earned the coveted national honor in the local cable news category. Other TV news teams honored included some from the larger markets of Boston, Dallas and Tampa, Fla. NBC’s “Meet the Press” also claimed the award in the broadcast network category.