The top names in TV news came to roast CNN anchor Judy Woodruff as she received the Helen Thomas Award, named for the veteran United Press International correspondent, for excellence in journalism from the American News Women's Club in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night, reports PEOPLE. Emcee Jim Lehrer of PBS read a poem by Woodruff's former CNN colleague, Bernard Shaw, as well as congratulatory messages from former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton. (CNN, like PEOPLE, is part of AOL Time Warner.) Woodruff, 55, told PEOPLE that she was surprised to be getting this kind of recognition from her fellow women journalists. "It was sometime last year that the organization called and said, 'We'd like to honor you with this.' I was taken aback and said, 'The Thomas prize!?' -- because I love Helen. I've known her more than 20 years, and I've admired her so much . . . (So) I said, 'You're sure you haven't made a mistake?'" Roaster and NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell took a friendly dig at Woodruff when she said, "Did you see Judy on Jon Stewart 's ("The Daily") show the other night in full leather? Who does she think she is? Paula Zahn?" But Mitchell and the other roasters -- CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Leslie Stahl, House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) -- all noted how hard it is to poke fun of the guest of honor. "Roasting Judy Woodruff is like roasting Mother Theresa," said Mitchell. "I can't think of anyone in our profession so universally loved and respected."