Mary Nightingale Hosts As The Royal Television Society Announces Television Journalism Awards Winners with Robin Elias Honoured

The awards celebrate talent across 20 categories in total, and this year Channel 4 led the way with eight wins spanning across both news and current affairs, followed by the BBC with five wins overall.

The winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Robin Elias, who this year is retiring after 38 years at ITN, starting as a copy taster on ITV News and ending up as acting editor. Robin edited News at 10 throughout the Nineties with Trevor MacDonald at the helm, including coverage of the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 terror attack.

The Royal Television Society (RTS), Britain’s leading forum for television and related media, announced the winners of its 2019 Television Journalism Awards, sponsored by GuestBooker, at a prestigious awards ceremony held last night at the London Hilton on Park Lane. The awards ceremony was hosted by celebrated British newsreader and television presenter Mary Nightingale.

The awards celebrate talent across 20 categories in total, and this year Channel 4 led the way with eight wins spanning across both news and current affairs, followed by the BBC with five wins overall. The winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Robin Elias, who this year is retiring after 38 years at ITN, starting as a copy taster on ITV News and ending up as acting editor. Robin edited News at 10 throughout the Nineties with Trevor MacDonald at the helm, including coverage of the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 terror attack.

The Television Journalism Awards celebrates creative and excellent journalism by organisations whose broadcasts are transmitted on a UK-based platform, or who create online video content from a UK production base across the following categories: Breaking News; Camera Operator of the Year; Current Affairs – Home; Current Affairs – International; Daily News Programme of the Year; Interview of the Year; Nations and Regions Current Affairs; Nations and Regions News; Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year; Network Presenter of the Year; News Channel of the Year; News Coverage – Home; News Coverage – International; News Technology; Scoop of the Year; Specialist Journalist of the Year; Television Journalist of the Year; Independent Award; Young Talent of the Year and Outstanding Achievement Award.

Sue Inglish, Chair of the Television Journalism Awards said “The juries this year had some extremely tough decisions to make, with the range of outstanding journalism taking place in the UK excelling through its originality and research. We were delighted to celebrate last night the UK’s top content and talent, and the vital stories they are covering every day. Congratulations to all the winners.”

Please see below the full list of winners and nominees, as well as the jury’s comments on each winner:

Breaking News

WINNER - Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe Steps Down CNN International

Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe Steps Down is a model of how to cover an unpredictable breaking news story - from the heart of the action. It was a journalistic and technical triumph that caught the excitement of the moment but kept a cool head and ensured that tough questions about the future were asked as well.

Nominees:

Cabinet Brexit Deal Sky News

Zimbabwe BBC News Channel for BBC News

Camera Operator of the Year

WINNER - Brice Lainé CNN International

Lainé’s work is authentic and brilliant with his portfolio showing a great range of stories. In an excellent field, his work stood out for being shot through with humanity. His camerawork in the Antarctic was stunning and brave.

Nominees:

Darren Conway (DC) BBC News

Jack Garland – Newsnight BBC Two

Current Affairs – Home

WINNER - The Fires That Foretold Grenfell Amos Pictures / BBC Current Affairs for BBC Two

The Fires That Foretold Grenfell combined terrific archive and first-person testimony to deliver a damning verdict on the causes of the Grenfell tragedy. Great research enabled the programme to be built around heart-breaking interviews with people who had lost loved ones in previous conflagrations. Despite this emotional content, the analysis never lost its clarity of purpose: to uncover the causes of fires such as the one that engulfed Grenfell Tower. The result was a programme of importance and revelation.

Nominees:

Massacre at Ballymurphy Awen Media / Dartmouth Films / The Outsider Movie Company for Channel 4

Exposure - Prisons Uncovered: Out of Control? Clover Films for ITV

Current Affairs – International

WINNER - Dispatches - Myanmar’s Killing Fields Evan Williams Productions /Mongoose Productions for Channel 4

Dispatches - Myanmar’s Killing Fields is a remarkable piece of evidence-gathering with a great combination of reportage and citizen journalism. It was a compelling, forensic piece of film making with methodical reporting and raw testimony, making for riveting viewing.

Nominees:

This World - Japan's Secret Shame True Vision Productions for BBC Two

BBC Africa Eye - Sweet Sweet Codeine BBC Africa Eye for BBC World Service

Daily News Programme of the Year

WINNER - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Channel 4 News is the programme which the jury felt demonstrated the greatest journalistic excellence throughout the year, with its ground-breaking investigations, high impact journalism at home and abroad, and powerful interviews.

Nominees:

ITV News at Ten ITN for ITV

Newsnight BBC Two

Interview of the Year

WINNER - Malaysia: Najib Speaks – 101 East Al Jazeera English

All the nominees were great examples of the interviewer’s craft. But one interview stood out for its courage, tenacity and sheer unadulterated watchability - Malaysia: Najib Speaks. Although the story focused on an issue few would have known about prior to the interview, this did not detract from the viewer’s ability to understand the jaw-dropping venality of the interviewee. The interviewer’s forensic approach was compelling, her knowledge formidable and her ability to combine persistence with grace quite extraordinary.

Nominees:

Channel 4 News - Max Mosley ITN for Channel 4

ITV News - Sir Cliff Richard ITN for ITV

Nations and Regions Current Affairs

WINNER - Disclosure - Suffer the Children BBC Scotland for BBC One Scotland

This year’s award goes to a standout investigation - Disclosure - Suffer the Children. It is a very strong piece of work, with a surprising level of access, that is both shocking and challenging. The testimonies of the victims were harrowing and astonishingly raw and the jury watched their stories unfold with a growing feeling of horror, but also praised the sensitivity shown by the programme makers in dealing with the victims, and the shame and pain they have lived with.

Nominees:

Spotlight - Brexit, Dark Money & the DUP BBC Northern Ireland

Wales Investigates - Gangs, Murder & Teenage Drug Runners BBC Wales for BBC One

Nations and Regions News

WINNER - ITV News Central - Leicester Helicopter Crash - A City In Mourning ITV Central for ITV

This was an exceptionally strong field - all three nominations focused on the aftermath of appalling events and all three demonstrated skilfully what a regional television station should be doing, being at the beating heart of a story. ITV News Central’s Leicester Helicopter Crash - A City In Mourning stood out for including some of the best writing we’ve judged, the tone of the presentation, for being well paced and edited, right down to the closing words. It was moving, captured the sense of loss in the city and brought goosebumps to some of the jury

Nominees:

ITV News Meridian - Gosport War Memorial Hospital ITV Meridian for ITV

ITV London News - Grenfell one year on ITN for ITV

Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year

WINNER - Nina Hossain - ITV London News ITN for ITV

This category contained three very engaging presenters – and choosing a single winner was no easy task for the jury. Nina Hossain demonstrated a compelling on-screen presence with so much energy, whether in the studio or on location, who succeeded every time in getting the best out of people. Her interviews are challenging, insightful and probing. She projects authority, sensitivity and charm as well as an outstanding ability to connect with the audience.

Nominees:

Lucy Meacock - Granada Reports ITV Granada for ITV

Roger Johnson - BBC North West Tonight BBC North West for BBC One

Network Presenter of the Year

WINNER - Emily Maitlis – Newsnight BBC Two

The judges agreed Emily Maitlis was a stunning entry. Maitlis uses a vast and deep knowledge to conduct persistent, forensic interrogations on both sides of the Atlantic, exhibiting remarkable authority and self-possession on air. She has led the revival of her programme’s fortunes – bagging big name interviews and always adding value. She has, said the judges, even made it OK for an interviewer to be furious with an interviewee.

Nominees:

Krishnan Guru-Murthy - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Victoria Derbyshire - The Victoria Derbyshire Programme BBC Two

News Channel of the Year

WINNER - Sky News

The judges were unanimous in their decision in this category. Sky News demonstrated its trademark excellence in breaking and continuous news, but also showed admirable strength in investigations, exclusives and special projects.

Nominees:

BBC News Channel

CNN International

News Coverage – Home

WINNER - Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks is an exclusive story with real resonance which changed the agenda. It was brilliant journalism, with fantastic undercover reporting. It demonstrated good analysis all the way through and became one of the biggest stories of the year.

Nominees:

Out in the Cold - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Violent Britain – ITV News ITN for ITV

News Coverage – International

WINNER - Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Described by the jury as a global scoop that changed the way the world works, Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks is a meticulous undercover investigation which uncovered attempts to subvert democracy around the world from the 2016 US presidential race to elections in countries like Kenya, Mexico and India.

Nominees:

China’s Hidden Camps - BBC News at Ten BBC News for BBC One

Yemen BBC News for BBC One

News Technology

WINNER - BBC Africa Eye – The Anatomy of a Killing BBC Africa Eye for BBC News

The Anatomy of a Killing harnessed new technology in a simple but stunning way to tell a very powerful story. Using only open source data and software, BBC Africa Eye investigated some grainy mobile phone footage to uncover remarkable details of murders by soldiers in Cameroon. The team pieced together a jigsaw of facts including the precise location and approximate date of the killings, to debunk the Cameroon government’s dismissal of them as fake news. The judges said it was a superb piece of public interest journalism which held power to account and had a huge impact in social media.

Nominees:

Immersive Photojournalist Lewis Whyld’s 360° Drone Image Capture Technology CNN International

Royal Wedding Who's Who Sky News

Scoop of the Year

WINNER - Cambridge Analytica Uncovered - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

There were a handful of stand-out news stories of the year – all of them covered competitively by newsrooms around the world – and the judges agreed that any of the nominees would be worthy winners. However… The winning entry was – said the judges – a profoundly important and significant piece of television, which exposed a serious abuse of democracy. Its initial impact was enormous – and its reverberations are still being felt. As part of a collaborative investigation with newspapers, it featured excellent use of undercover filming techniques to help uncover one of the biggest stories of the year – the secret use of data mining and aggregating to shape and alter the course of politics. It was – said the judges – a programme of its time with global ramifications.

Nominees:

The Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi CNN International

Westminster Bullying – Newsnight BBC Two

Specialist Journalist of the Year

WINNER - Chris Cook - Newsnight BBC Two

Described by the jury as a terrier like force of nature, Chris Cook built on years of forensic reporting in Whitehall and Westminster to expose a culture of bullying and harassment at the highest level of Parliament.

Nominees:

Michael Buchanan BBC News for BBC One

Nima Elbagir CNN International

Television Journalist of the Year

WINNER - Andy Davies – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

Andy Davies had quite a twelve months. Not content with delivering a jaw-dropping exclusive that dominated the media for days on end, he produced a succession of original and remarkable reports that told stories far beyond the normal news agenda. Davies did so not only with tenacity and grit, but compassion and modesty too.

Nominees:

Clive Myrie BBC News for BBC One

Orla Guerin BBC News for BBC One

Independent Award

WINNER - Riding 'The Death Train' to America's border - Channel 4 News Pacha Films for Channel 4

Riding 'The Death Train' to America's border is beautifully filmed with lovely narrative moments. A very accomplished piece of film making, it’s a film about a journey that we rarely see. It showed powerfully, with real people, the impact of policy change, which is exactly what documentary journalism should be doing.

Nominees:

Panorama - Can Violent Men Change? Rogan Productions / BBC Panorama for BBC One

Humam Husari - ITV News ITN for ITV

Young Talent of the Year

WINNER - Anja Popp - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

This year saw several new and exciting young voices, but Anja Popp’s work has been quite extraordinary, both on and off camera. The judges praised the ease with which Popp engages with people she talks to, showing sensitivity and emotional intelligence. Popp quite clearly has a massive career ahead of her.

Nominees:

Noel Phillips - The Victoria Derbyshire Programme BBC Two

Rishabh R. Jain - The Plight of the Rohingya The Associated Press

Outstanding Achievement Award

WINNER - Robin Elias

There are many journalists working in newsrooms today who got their start in the business thanks to the winner of this year’s outstanding contribution award, Robin Elias. He’s retiring this year after 38 years at ITN, starting as a copy taster on ITV News and ending up as acting editor. He edited News at Ten throughout the Nineties with Trevor MacDonald at the helm, including coverage of the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 terror attacks. As well as a stellar journalistic career, Elias was an early and passionate advocate of making newsrooms more diverse by bringing in people who wouldn’t normally get a foot on the ladder of TV journalism. He’s also one of the nicest people in TV news.

About The Royal Television Society
From glamorous award ceremonies to lively debates, the RTS embraces all aspects of television, and is open to anyone with an interest in the medium.

As an educational charity, we encourage and celebrate work in television and its related fields, from finding out how the nation’s favourite shows are made in our Anatomy of a Hit series, to celebrating burgeoning talent at our annual Student Awards.

The industry’s most talented individuals give us an insight into the work that goes into making cutting edge contemporary TV. From Government ministers and CEOs to workshops with great runners, our events look at every part of the business.

Our annual Television Journalism, Programme, Craft and Design and Student Awards, celebrate achievements across the broadcasting industry.

Education is key to what the RTS does. Each year, we offer Television Production and Technology bursaries to help those from less affluent backgrounds get a foothold in the industry and Masterclass sessions bring together students, academics and industry heads.

RTS Futures, which is aimed at those in their first two years of employment, organises an exciting roster of discussion, training and social occasions. Recent events have included workshops on learning to format shows and how to survive as a freelancer, and expert panels explaining how to be the best researcher and how to make it on-screen.

Each year global television leaders gather to discuss what the future holds for television at our London Conference or the RTS Cambridge Convention.

Alongside our engaged community of over 4,800 full members, the Society is supported by Britain and the world's biggest broadcasters, producers and consultants, including Principle Patrons BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky.

Originally founded as the Television Society in 1927, the Society was granted its Royal title in 1966 and HRH The Prince of Wales became Patron of the RTS in 1997.

Today, 14 regional and national groups curate lively events and awards around the UK and Ireland, from Glasgow to Galway.

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