The UK’s RTS Television Journalism Awards 2020 were handed out at a gala event on Wednesday night in London, with competition this time round exceptionally high.
The BBC was the standout winner on the night, taking away ten awards out of the nineteen categories. Sky News was also a big winner, bagging itself five awards, including the coveted “newschannel of the year”.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour was the winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award, who as a global figure in English speaking broadcast journalism has spent over four decades covering major conflicts and campaigning for media freedom and the safety of journalists.
A new award introduced this year, “The Digital Award”, was awarded to Sky News for Snapchat Discover and YouTube for the piece ‘Why are transgender people self-medicating?’
RTS Television Journalism Awards Winners
Breaking News
Winner: Hong Kong Protesters Storm Legislative Council – CNN International
Nominees: Turkey’s Incursion into Syria – CNN International; Hong Kong – BBC Newschannel
Camera Operator of the Year
Winner: Wang Xiqing – BBC News
Nominees: Ben Martin – Channel 4 News, Mstyslav Chernov – Associated Press
Current Affairs – Home
Winner: Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History – BBC NI for BBC Four and BBC One Northern Ireland
Nominees: Panorama – Undercover Hospital Abuse Scandal – BBC Panorama for BBC One, Exposure – The Priory: Teenage Mental Health Uncovered Hardcash Productions for ITV
Current Affairs – International
Winner: For Sama – Channel 4 News / ITN Productions for Channel 4 and PBS Frontline
Nominees: This World – One Day in Gaza BBC Current Affairs London for BBC Two; Exposure – Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag Hardcash Productions for ITV
Daily News Programme of the Year
Winner: Newsnight – BBC Two
Nominees: News at Ten – ITN for ITV; BBC News at Ten – BBC News for BBC One
Digital Award
Winner: Why are transgender people self-medicating? – Sky News for Snapchat Discover and YouTube
Nominees: Modern Masculinity – Men need meaning and responsibility The Guardian for The Guardian / YouTube; Uncovered – Mexico Femicide ITN for Online
Interview of the Year
Winner: The Prince Andrew Interview – Newsnight, BBC Two
Nominees: Harry and Meghan: An African Journey – Duchess of Sussex ITN Productions and ITV News for ITV; Andrew Neil interviews Boris Johnson BBC News for BBC One
Nations and Regions Current Affairs
Winner: Disclosure: Who Killed Emma? – BBC Scotland for BBC One Scotland
Nominees: The Pub Bombings, BBC Birmingham for BBC England; Spotlight – Paisley in Paradise, BBC Northern Ireland
Nations and Regions News
Winner: BBC South East Today – Shoreham Special programme BBC South East for BBC One
Nominees: ITV News London – Domestic Abuse: The Crime Behind Closed Doors ITN for ITV; BBC Look North (Yorkshire) – Floods November 2019 BBC Yorkshire for BBC One
Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year
Winner: Riz Lateef – BBC London for BBC One
Nominees: Mark Carruthers – The View; Sunday Politics NI; Election 2019 BBC Northern Ireland; Tony Morris – ITV News – Granada Reports ITV News for ITV
Network Presenter of the Year
Winner: Emily Maitlis – Newsnight BBC Two
Nominees: Tom Bradby – ITV News ITN for ITV; Victoria Derbyshire – Victoria Derbyshire Programme BBC Two and BBC Newschannel
News Channel of the Year
Winner: Sky News
Nominees: BBC Newschannel; CNN International
News Coverage – Home
Winner: The Death of Molly Russell – BBC News for BBC One
Nominees: Britain’s Hidden Children’s Homes – Newsnight BBC Two; The Murder of Lyra McKee – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4
News Coverage – International
Winner: The Missing Muslims of Xinjiang – BBC News at Ten BBC News for BBC One
Nominees: The Migrant Crisis: Death on the Channel – ITV News ITN for ITV; Inside Syria – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4
News Technology
Winner: First Lives from the Deep – Sky News and Associated Press
Nominees: Click 1000 – BBC Click BBC News; Vote Coder BBC News
Scoop of the Year
Winner: The Prince Andrew Interview – Newsnight, BBC Two
Nominees: Undercover with the Clerics: Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade – BBC News Arabic for BBC News and BBC Two; Harry Dunn Sky News
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Winner: Rohit Kachroo – ITV News, ITN for ITV
Nominees: Alex Crawford – Sky News; Dan Rivers – ITV News ITN for ITV
Television Journalist of the Year
Winner: Nima Elbagir – CNN International
Nominees: Gabriel Gatehouse – Newsnight BBC Two; Stuart Ramsay Sky News
Young Talent of the Year
Winner: Martha Kelner – Sky News
Nominees: Ben Hunte – BBC News for BBC One; Yousra Elbagir – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4
Judges’ Award
Winner: Political Teams (5 News, BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News and Sky News)
“The divisions of Brexit put unprecedented pressure on political journalists. Many suffered abuse and threats.
“In addition – as Adam Boulton wrote recently – relations between the media and the political class are being increasingly challenged as politicians by-pass journalists, preferring instead to put their messages out directly.
“Against this background the judges decided that the RTS should recognise all the political teams across all the UK broadcasters for their important role as guardians of democracy.”
Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: Christiane Amanpour
“This year [the Judges’ Award] goes to a towering global figure in English speaking broadcast journalism, a doyenne of international television presenters.
“ She was born in London, raised in Tehran, educated at a convent in Buckinghamshire before university in America.
“She began her broadcast career while still an undergraduate. Over four decades she has covered more or less every major conflict and interviewed pretty much anyone who is anyone. She is a committed campaigner for media freedom and the safety of journalists.”
Simon Bucks, Chair of the RTS Television Journalism Awards, said: “The Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards are the touchstone of our industry and provide a benchmark of quality across both news and current affairs journalism.
“The standard of entries was exceptional this year, giving the juries the hardest of tasks, and I would like to congratulate not only the winners and nominees, but all the entrants whose work represents the very best of the UK’s television and video journalism.
“The decision to give the Judges Award to all the broadcast political teams is an important recognition that over the past year, they have been subjected to unprecedented pressure and abuse, for only doing their jobs.”