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February 25, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 2:30pm

Sky named top news channel for fourth year running

By Press Gazette

Sky News scooped news channel of the year for the fourth year
running at the Royal Television Secretary awards last night (24.02.05).
But
it was the mainly the BBC’s night – the corporation took 10 of the
remaining 16 awards. Director of news Helen Boaden said: “This is
our best result of years. In a very tough year for journalism, we are
extremely proud that the BBC has been recognised in this way.”
Sky saw off competition from other nominees ITV
News and News 24 and the judges praised it as “as confident, strong and
for many the news channel of choice.”
The news event prize was picked up by BBC One for its coverage of the “previously unreported” tragedy in Darfur.
ITV News Channel signalled its growing strength
as the newest rolling news channel by picking up the international news
prize for its coverage of the Beslan siege. It was described as “a
superb piece of eye witness reporting”.
The channel picked up a second prize when Alastair Stewart was named presenter
of the year.
BBC Two’s Newsnight won the home news prize for its investigation into the obscure Islamic group Al Muhajiroun.
The Guardian’s former Baghdad Blogger Salam Pax
picked up the innovation award for his work with
GuardianFIlms/Newsnight documenting travels around Iraq over the last
two years. The judges said he “took us to the places and people of Iraq
which could not be reached by other coverage”.
The home news current affairs prize went to
Panorama’s special on the David Kelly affair A Fight to the Death.
Published on the eve of Lord Hutton’s verdict, the programme was
described by the judges as “a tour de force tackling the biggest and
most difficult story of the year”.
The international current affairs award went to
BBC Two/October Films for This World, an investigation into “the secret
heart of the world’s most secretive nation” – North Korea.
News programme of the year was the BBC Ten O’Clock news for “consistently stylish, and intelligent reporting”.
Lindsey Hilsum, from Channel Four News was named television journalist of the year.
ITV news veteran anchor Sir Trevor McDonald
OBE picked up the special judges’ award and was described as a
journalist who has “won enormous affection from his colleagues, and
more importantly he has earned the respect and trust of his viewers”.
BBC One’s Wales Today was the daily news magazine of the year for its investigation into child abuse by a drama teacher.
Young Journalist of the Year was Alex Millar from BBC One and BBC Three.
The national and regional current affairs prize went to Ulster TV’s Insight programme for When Hospitals Kill.

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