When The Phil Donahue Show aired in 1967 on WLWD-TV, it was the first time America had seen a host implement audience participation and challenge everyday people on controversial issues. During the course of Donahue’s Emmy-winning show, he interviewed some of the most influential figures in history such as Martin Luther King Jr., and a wide array of politicians, celebrities, and ordinary citizens. Fearless and unstoppable, Donahue epitomizes the ideal of “standing up for what is right.” On September 14, 2008, Phil Donahue received the Ohio Citizen Action Howard M. Metzenbaum Award at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. Six hundred people attended the ceremony and viewed Donahue’s riveting documentary, Body of War. When Phil Donahue was introduced at the ceremony, he was described by Susan Hyatt (Senator Metzenbaum’s daughter) as a “pioneer and innovator,” and was honored for his “unwillingness to be silenced.”