The world is witnessing a “chilling time for journalists,” Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent, told a packed audience at the ARCO Forum last night.

Amanpour was honored last night with the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism, which is sponsored by the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy.

Over the past decade, the London-born Amanpour has covered many of the world’s tensest regions, including Iran, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“A foreign war correspondent is a particular brand of person,” Amanpour said. She said her job requires “mental, intellectual, and physical stamina.”

Amanpour, who described herself as an “anti-cynic,” spoke extensively on the news scene after Sept. 11. She said the events following the terrorist attacks have reaffirmed the essential role of the media in keeping Americans in touch with events throughout the world.

“When my son gets old enough to ask me why I do this, I’ll tell him it’s because if we don’t do this, the bad guys will win,” she said. “It’s a commitment and we stick to it.”

The honor is “given annually to recognize outstanding contributors to the field of journalism, and whose work has enriched our political discourse and our society,” according to a press release.

Past winners of the prestigious award have included CNN founder Ted Turner, CBS anchor Dan Rather, and 20/20 anchor Barbara Walters.

Seattle Times reporters Duff Wilson and David Heath were also honored last night with the coveted Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and a $25,000 award.

Their winning story revealed the unnecessary deaths of numerous cancer patients at the Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. According to the story, the patients were not given full disclosure before agreeing to participate in a clinical trial and the medical researchers involved had a financial interest in the trial’s outcome.

The New York Times was also recognized last night for its “Portraits of Grief,” a series of obituaries of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Two $2,500 book prizes were awarded to Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki for The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America, and to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel for The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Shuld Expect.

The 10-year anniversary celebration of the Goldsmith Awards will continue today with a seminar on investigative reporting held at the Charles Hotel.