BBC Scotland’s political correspondent has won one of the nost prestigous TV journalism awards in the UK.
Glenn Campbell last night picked up the ‘Scoop of the year’ title at television journalism awards run by the Royal Television Society.
His prize was for breaking the story that the Lockerbie bomber was to be released from prison in Scotland and flown back to Libya.
Campbell and his producer, John Boothman, who worked closely with him on breaking the story, took the honours at a glittering awards ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane Lane, in London, hosted by BBC news presenter Sophie Raworth.
Said the judges: “The winning scoop caught everybody by surprise, including some colleagues within the BBC, and its impact spread far and wide beyond its home turf.”
Added head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Scotland, Atholl Duncan: “It is a brilliant testimony to the work of Glenn Campbell, John Boothman and the entire BBC Scotland news team that our efforts on breaking this story and driving it on for many days has been recognised by the best in the business. To win the ‘Scoop of the Year’ in British TV journalism is a tremendous achievement.”
Full list of winners:
Young journalist of the year
Tamanna Rahman – Panorama BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Say the judges: “The winner helped produce some of the most gripping television of the year, bravely exposing a side of Britain we don’t often get to see. Her raw and simple style was both innovative and powerful.”
Nominees:
Rohit Kachroo – ITV News ITN for ITV News
Tom Rayner Sky News
Nations and regions current affairs
Inside Out South West – Vanessa George BBC South West
Say the judges: “[We] selected an outstanding winner from a very strong shortlist. The winning programme involved a major scoop, great access, and great story telling.”
Nominees:
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
Say the judges: “… was extensive and riveting coverage of an horrendous crime with remarkable access to the family concerned.”
Nominees:
The West Country Tonight – Remembering Harry ITV West
UTV Live Tonight – The Ryan Report UTV
News coverage – home
G20 Policing ITN for Channel 4 News
Say the judges: “… an outstanding and very strong piece of journalism, a proper investigation, brilliantly done.”
Nominees:
Gurkha Rights BBC News for BBC
Threats and Murders BBC Newsline for BBC Northern Ireland
Current affairs – home
Panorama: What Happened to Baby P? BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Say the judges: “… an agenda-setting programme which was the result of a pain-staking investigation. It was a story that in less restrained hands could have easily been sensational and over-emotive, but this measured account of the short life and death of Baby P was all the more convincing and shocking.”
Nominees:
Stockwell ITV Studios for ITV1
Dispatches: Rape and the City Wall to Wall for Channel 4
Current affairs – international
This World: Gypsy Child Thieves BBC Current Affairs for BBC Two
Say the judges:“A fantastic achievement. A powerful eye-witness account and an outstanding example of story-telling.”
Nominees:
Dispatches: Pakistan’s Taliban Generation October Films for Channel 4
Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai Quicksilver Media for Channel 4
News coverage – international
Pakistan: Terror’s Frontline Sky News
Say the judges: “The winning entry was described by the jury as `fantastic’, containing material that everyone wished they‘d had. The reporting was brave, exclusive and thoughtful. It showed great journalistic foresight to invest – ahead of other news organisations – so thoroughly in the story of the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan.”
Nominees:
Operation Panther’s Claw ITN for ITV News
Iranian Election BBC News for BBC
Scoop of the year
Release of the Lockerbie Bomber BBC Scotland
Say the judges: “The winning scoop caught everybody by surprise, including some colleagues within the BBC, and its impact spread far and wide beyond its home turf.”
Nominees:
Sir Fred Goodwin’s Pension BBC News for BBC One
Vanessa George BBC South West & BBC News
Presenter of the year
Julie Etchingham – ITV News ITN for ITV News
Say the judges: “The winner was described by one judge as having grown, in an extremely short time, into a key part of the channel’s news team. Strong and professional with range and authority, an extraordinary journalist with real star quality.”
Nominees:
David Dimbleby BBC
Krishnan Guru-Murthy – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News
Innovative news
Sky News and Skynews.com for Fallen Heroes
Say the judges: “[We] felt that [this] entry … stood out as a model for the future. It involved viewers in providing a web-based “living tribute” to the British soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Combining high production values with users’ own content, it provided a Remembrance Day tribute that was truly moving – and is still being updated as a constant memorial.”
The independent award
Mehran Bozorgnia – Afghan Life Crumbles Despite Foreign Aid Channel 4 News
Say the judges: “The winner produced an outstanding and riveting film which uncovered aspects of life in Afghanistan which we had not seen before. To have produced high quality video and sound in these circumstances, without resorting to undercover filming, is a real achievement which fully deserves this award and which sets a high standard for future entries in this category.”
Nominees:
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
News programme of the year
BBC News at Ten BBC News for BBC One
Say the judges: “The winner demonstrated reporting strength in great depth, both at home and abroad with several specialists clearly at the top of their game. There was outstanding coverage from Afghanistan and Iran, a string of high-powered exclusives and impressive presentation.”
Nominees:
Channel 4 News (19:00 Edition) ITN for Channel 4 News
ITV News at Ten ITN for ITV News
News channel of the year
Sky News
Say the judges: “The winning channel demonstrated that it can report foreign news as well as its traditional fare of UK breaking news. Coverage ranged from the Swat Valley in Pakistan to Afghanistan, Iran and Mumbai while at home Adam Bolton continued to harry the Prime Minister and hound MPs and the home news team continued to chase every story.”
Nominees:
Al Jazeera English
CNN International
Specialist journalist
Paul Kenyon – Panorama BBC Current Affairs for BBC One
Say the judges: “Our winner has given a voice to people who don’t usually get heard, and created human, engaging, compelling television in the process. His dogged coverage of African migration has been ground-breaking.”
Nominees:
Jason Farrell – Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky Sky News Production for Five News
Joey Jones Sky News
Camera operator of the year
Dai Baker – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News
Say the judges: “The winner showed great imagination and technique and his use of light and reflections were well thought through and effective.”
Nominees:
Raul Gallego Abellan – Associated Press Television News Associated Press
Fred Scott – BBC News BBC News for BBC
Television journalist of the year
Alex Crawford Sky News
Say the judges: “For the outstanding quality, depth and humanity of her reportage from Afghanistan and the Mumbai terror attacks…”
Nominees:
Ian Pannell – BBC News BBC News for BBC
Angus Walker – ITV News ITN for ITV News
Lifetime achievement award
Peter McHugh
Say the judges: “[This Award] goes to a man who has kept the flag of popular journalism flying high, first in print and for the last few decades in television, with remarkable success. He started on newspapers on his home turf of the North East, then moved on to The Sun and the Daily Mail before becoming by far the most influential figure in breakfast television over the past 20-something years. He’s nurtured talented young people by the score, if not by the hundred, and has seen star presenters come and go over the years, but he has always retained his great gut instinct for a good newsy story or a great human interest tale.”
Judges’ award
Gaza News Teams
Say the judges: “The award this year goes to a group of people who risked their lives to ensure that the world could witness a war that would otherwise have unfolded largely in secret. When Israel launched its assault on Gaza just over a year ago it went to extraordinary lengths to keep the world’s media out. The Israeli military sealed off Gaza from journalists and camera teams to prevent them seeing and reporting what was going on. Most of the media found itself stranded on a hill top several miles away and, effectively, shut out of the story entirely. Inside Gaza, however, individuals and small groups of local journalists and cameramen took extraordinary risks to send pictures and eye-witness reports to the outside world showing the daily toll of death and destruction. Some were freelancers, some locally hired producers or stringers working for Reuters and APTN or other broadcasters. Whatever their status they made an irreplaceable contribution to the work of the television agencies and the rest of the world’s media.”
