BBC dominated the Royal Television Society Journalism Awards last night, winning eight awards including scoop of the year.
BBC News won scoop of the year for its exclusive on the meltdown of Northern Rock by business editor Robert Peston. The judges said the scoop became a major news story of the year that was still making the headlines. They said: ‘This exclusive was not the result of some authorised leak but come from one journalist following a hunch that something was up and tracking down the truth through contacts and commitment.”
BBC Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman won the presenter award, BBC political correspondent Nick Robinson won the specialist journalist prize and World Service journalist Alan Johnston received the judges award for ‘extraordinary broadcast journalism”.
The corporation also took home gongs for current affairs in the nations & regions and home categories. Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme won the N&R award for its illegal pitbull fighting sting and The Great Granny Chart Invasion – Power To The People on BBC Two won the home-based current affairs award. The BBC News and BBC N&R teams won the multimedia award for coverage of last year’s floods. Camera pperator of the year was Darren Conway for BBC News.
Other winners included Al Jazeera’s Hamish MacDonald, who won the fledging broadcaster’s first RTS award for young journalist of the year. The ITV Evening News, produced by ITN, won news programme of the Year.
Veteran news presenter John Suchet was given a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his 35-year career in broadcasting.
The awards were presented at a ceremony in the London Hilton last night, hosted by ITV News at Ten presenter, Julie Etchingham.
Full list of winners:
News – International
Iraq: Apache Company – Channel 4 News ITN & Guardian Films for Channel 4
News – Home
The Crevice Trial: Links To 7/7 – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4
Scoop of the Year
Northern Rock – BBC News BBC News for BBC News 24 & BBC One
Nations and Regions News Coverage
The Lesley Molseed Trial – Granada Reports ITV Granada
Nations and Regions Current Affairs
The Pit Bull Sting – Spotlight BBC Northern Ireland
Current Affairs – Home
The Great Granny Chart Invasion – Power To The People BBC Current
Current Affairs – International
China’s Stolen Children – Dispatches Special A True Vision Production for Channel 4
Innovation
Sky.com News Sky News
Presenter of the Year
Jeremy Paxman – Newsnight BBC for BBC Two
Young Journalist of the Year
Hamish MacDonald – Al Jazeera English News Hour Al Jazeera English
Multimedia
The Floods BBC News / BBC Nations and Regions
News Channel of the Year
Sky News
Specialist Journalist
Nick Robinson – BBC News BBC News for BBC One & BBC News 24
News Event
Battle of Gaza Reuters Television
Camera Operator of the Year
Darren Conway – BBC News BBC News for BBC One
Television Journalist of the Year
Alex Crawford Sky News
News Programme of the Year
ITV Evening News ITN for ITV News
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Suchet
Judges’ Award
Alan Johnston
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