PBS took home 14 Emmys, including four for its documentary series P.O.V.. CBS News was awarded eight News and Documentary Emmy Awards, more than any other commercial broadcast network, by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences which conducts the Emmys. CBS Evening News With Dan Rather won three awards, while 60 Minutes II, The Early Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, CBS Evening News Weekend Edition and CBS News Productions each received one.

Rather was recognised for outstanding investigative journalism in a regularly scheduled newscast. In Energy Crisis, CBS Eevening News correspondent Vince Gonzales took an investigative look into the California energy crisis and its collapse. Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Broadcast went to the show McVeigh Papers. One week before the execution of Timothy McVeigh, correspondent Jim Stewart was the first to report that the FBI failed to turn over all relevant materials to the defense team.

The 23rd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards were presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York City. A stellar line-up of prominent newsmakers and industry executives including Barbara Walters, Bernard Shaw and PBS President Pat Mitchell presented the awards. CNN's Garrick Utley acted as Master of Ceremonies during the event. The awards recognised outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2001 calendar year. Barbara Walters presented the first-ever lifetime achievement award to ABC Chairman Roone Arledge.

The numerical breakdown, by broadcast and cable entities is:

PBS 14

CBS 7

ABC 6

CNN 4

HBO 3

NBC 3

MSNBC 2

TLC 1