The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), formerly the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), is a United States-based membership organization of radio, television and online news directors, producers, executives and educators. Among its functions are the maintenance of journalism ethics, and to preserve the free speech rights of broadcast journalists.
The RTDNA was founded in 1946 (as the RTNDA) as an industry group to set standards for the nascent field of broadcast journalism, and to defend the First Amendment in instances where broadcast media was being threatened. It adopted its current name in early 2010. The organization has over 3,000 members.
The RTDNA is probably best known for the Edward R. Murrow Award, given annually since 1971 for excellence in electronic journalism.
Murrow famously gave a speech at an RTNDA event held in his honor in 1958, harshly critical of the network television establishment of the day, and its emphasis on popular entertainment rather than news and public affairs programming. This speech was the cornerstone of the plot of the 2005 motion picture Good Night, and Good Luck.