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February 21, 2014

ITV scoops two awards for its Woolwich terror attack coverage

By Darren Boyle

ITV News won two awards for its coverage of the Woolwich terrorist attacks and the brutal murder of Lee Rigby at the Royal Television Society Journalism awards.

The awards recognise the best of news and current affairs coverage in Britain and across the globe.

The ceremony took place at the London Hilton on Park Lane in London on Wednesday, 19 February.

The judges panel was chaired by Richard Sambrook, director of the Centre for Journalism at Cardiff University.

The judges awarded ITV the overall award for News Coverage – Home during 2012/13 for the coverage of the Woolwich attack.

According to the judges: “This coverage began with a world exclusive and continued to deliver top quality TV journalism from many innovative angles. At the heart of this story were images the audience will remember forever. Comprehensive, sensitive and challenging.”

The coverage was also awarded Scoop of the Year. The judges said: “This year’s winner was not just a single scoop, but an outstanding series of scoops. From the first day, when ITN broadcast the shocking pictures of the murderer of Lee Rigby filmed by a bystander on a mobile phone, the team were ahead of the pack. The jury commended what was clearly the product of intelligent editorial leadership as well as strong reporting.”

The RTS awarded veteran journalist Peter Taylor its Lifetime Achievement award for his work in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Lebanon and then the war on terror.

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