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Victoria Derbyshire, Sky News and BBC Newsnight among big winners in news at RTS Awards

By Arun Kakar

BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, Newsnight and Sky News all received multiple prizes at the Royal Television Society Awards yesterday evening.

Derbyshire, who has hosted her eponymous show on BBC Two and BBC news since 2015, took home the Network Presenter of the Year and Interview of the Year prizes.

The latter she won for her work in speaking with football abuse victims, dedicating it to the “men who trusted us to tell their story”.

Sky News was named News Channel of the Year and also won the Breaking News Award for its coverage of last year’s Manchester Arena bombing that claimed the lives of 22 people.

Head of Sky News John Ryley said: “It’s the 12th time Sky News has won the news channel of the year award and it’s a great tribute to all my colleagues… for all their hard work.”

BBC Newsnight also won two awards: the Home News Coverage Award, for its reporting on the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, and the Current Affairs International prize for The Rohingya Crisis: The Tula Toli Massacre.

The awards cover news and current affairs in 19 categories, given to organisations whose work is transmitted on a UK-based platform.

Other big winners on the night included CNN, which landed Scoop of the Year for its uncovering of the Libyan slave market.

BBC’s Orla Guerin was named Television Journalist of the Year.

The Outstanding Contribution Award went to Channel 4 head of news and current affairs Dorothy Byrne.

BBC director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said: “This is a great set of results and I’m thrilled that teams across BBC News have been recognised for their work.

“I’m particularly proud that the RTS recognised the full range of our television output – home and foreign, programmes and newsgathering, innovation and experience, network and regional. This is a tribute to everyone in BBC News and Current Affairs and I’d like to add my thanks to the wider teams behind this outstanding work.”

This year Sue Inglish, former head of political programmes at the BBC, will take over from Stewart Purvis as chairman of the RTS Awards.

She said: “In an era of fake news, high quality journalism has never been so important. The RTS Television Journalism Awards seek to recognise the best in news and current affairs reporting.

“I am delighted to be the new chair and look forward to celebrating the achievements of the many highly talented and dedicated people in the industry.”

Full list of winners:

Breaking News: Manchester Terror Attack, Sky News

Camera Operator of the Year: Antonio Denti, Reuters Video News

Current Affairs – Home: Undercover: Britain’s Immigration Secrets, Panorama

Current Affairs – International: The Rohingya Crisis: The Tula Toli Massacre, Newsnight

Daily News Programme of the Year: BBC News at Ten, BBC News

Interview of the Year: Football Abuse Revelations, Victoria Derbyshire Programme

Nations and Regions Current Affairs: An Inside Out Special: Operation Sanctuary, Inside Out

Nations and Regions News: Grenfell Tower, ITV News London

Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year: Nina Hossain, ITV News London

Network Presenter of the Year: Victoria Derbyshire, Victoria Derbyshire Programme

News Channel of the Year: Sky News

News Coverage – Home: The Grenfell Tower Fire, Newsnight

News Coverage – International: Yemen, BBC News

News Technology: NHS Tracker, BBC News

Scoop of the Year: Libya Slave Market, CNN International

Specialist Journalist of the Year: Michael Crick, Channel 4 News

Television Journalist of the Year: Orla Guerin, BBC News

The Independent Award: Battle for Mosul, Channel 4 News

Young Talent of the Year: Nawal Al-Maghafi, BBC News

Outstanding Contribution Award: Dorothy Byrne, Channel 4

 Picture: BBC

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