University of Oregon officials in Eugene have rejected a demand to rescind a journalism award for a former Sinclair Broadcast Group TV reporter.

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Sinclair fired Washington bureau chief Jon Leiberman in 2004, after he publicly criticized the company's plan to televise a program attacking presidential candidate John Kerry's military record in the weeks leading up to the November election. Sinclair said Leiberman violated company policy banning public discussion of matters discussed at staff meetings, but Leiberman told The Baltimore Sun he went public as a matter of professional conscience.

Leiberman was one of this year's winners of the university's Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism -- named for the late Seattle broadcaster Ancil Payne. In response to a letter from David Smith, president of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Payne Award judges insisted they would present Leiberman with a special professional citation.

Timothy Gleason, dean of the university's School of Journalism and Communication, said Leiberman "upheld the fundamental journalist principles of fairness and balance, even at the risk of losing his job."

The 2005 Payne Awards will be presented in ceremonies Thursday at the University of Oregon.