The BBC leads other broadcast organisations with 17 nominations as the Royal Television Society today unveiled the shortlist for its annual journalism awards.
News and current affairs shows from across the BBC’s regional, national and international output drew nominations in 12 of the 15 award categories.
Three of these nominations came as the BBC was the only news organisation nominated in the scoop of the year category.
BBC Scotland’s piece on the release of the Lockerbie Bomber will fight off competition for the scoop prize with BBC News’ coverage of Sir Fred Goodwin’s pension and BBC South West’s story on Vanessa George, the nursery school worker jailed for sexually abusing children in her care.
BBC News at Ten was nominated for news programme of the year alongside Channel 4 News and ITV News at Ten.
Despite its raft of nominations the BBC was not selected for the news channel of the year award where the nominees were Al Jazeera English, CNN International and Sky News, which collected a total of four nominations.
Channel 4 received ten nominations, this includes being shortlisted twice in the international current affairs category for Dispatches programmes Terror in Mumbai, produced by Quicksilver Media, and Pakistan’s Taliban Generation, produced by October Films.
This year the RTS prize will see the debut of the independent award to recognise the best news coverage created by an independent producer or freelancer for broadcast on TV or online.
The three nominated filmmakers for the inaugural independent award all made films for Channel 4.
They are Mehran Bozorgnia, for Afghan Life Crumbles Despite Foreign Aid; Jamal Osman for Somalia: UN World Food Programme: Theft and Corruption, and Stephen Grey for Dispatches: Afghanistan – Mission Impossible?
ITV received eight nominations in total including two in the nations and regions news coverage category where Meridian Tonight’s Justice for Hannah programme will go head to head with West Country Tonight – Remembering Harry. UTV Live Tonight is the third nominee in this category for its programme, The Ryan Report.
The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on 24 February at the London Hilton.
Shortlisted Categories:
Camera Operator of the Year
Dai Baker – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News
Raul Gallego Abellan – Associated Press Television News APTN Global Video Wire
Fred Scott- BBC News BBC News for BBC
Current Affairs – Home
Panorama: What Happened to Baby P? BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Stockwell ITV Studios for ITV1
Dispatches: Rape and the City Wall to Wall for Channel 4
Current Affairs – International
Dispatches: Pakistan’s Taliban Generation October Films for Channel 4
This World: Gypsy Child Thieves BBC Current Affairs for BBC Two
Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai Quicksilver Media for Channel 4
Nations and Regions Current Affairs
Inside Out South West – Vanessa George BBC South West
BBC Scotland Investigates – Inside Scotland’s Terror Cell – BBC Scotland
Spotlight – Stem Cell Tourists BBC Northern Ireland
Nations and Regions News Coverage
Meridian Tonight (South) – Justice for Hannah ITV Meridian
The West Country Tonight – Remembering Harry ITV West
UTV Live Tonight – The Ryan Report UTV
News Channel of the Year
Al Jazeera English
CNN International
Sky News
News Coverage – Home
G20 Policing ITN for Channel 4 News
Gurkha Rights BBC News for BBC
Threats and Murders BBC Newsline for BBC Northern Ireland
News Coverage – International
Pakistan: Terror’s Frontline Sky News
Operation Panther’s Claw ITN for ITV News
Iranian Election BBC News for BBC
News Programme of the Year
BBC News at Ten BBC News for BBC One
Channel 4 News (19:00 Edition) ITN for Channel 4 News
ITV News at Ten ITN for ITV News
Presenter of the Year
David Dimbleby – BBC
Julie Etchingham – ITV News ITN for ITV News
Krishnan Guru-Murthy – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News
Scoop of the Year
Release of the Lockerbie Bomber BBC Scotland
Sir Fred Goodwin’s Pension BBC News for BBC One
Vanessa George BBC South West & BBC News
Specialist Journalist
Jason Farrell – Five News Sky News Production for Five News
Joey Jones – Sky News
Paul Kenyon – Panorama BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Television Journalist of the Year
Alex Crawford – Sky News
Ian Pannell – BBC News BBC News for BBC
Angus Walker – ITV News ITN for ITV News
The Independent Award
Mehran Bozorgnia – Afghan Life Crumbles Despite Foreign Aid Channel 4 News
Jamal Osman – Somalia: UN World Food Programme: Theft and Corruption
SMI Production for Channel 4 News
Stephen Grey – Dispatches: Afghanistan – Mission Impossible? Blakeway Productions for Channel 4
Young Journalist of the Year
Rohit Kachroo – ITV News ITN for ITV News
Tamanna Rahman – Panorama BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Tom Rayner – Sky News
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