The awards celebrated talent across 19 categories in total, and this year the BBC led the way with ten wins spanning both news and current affairs, followed by Sky News with five wins overall. The winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award was Christiane Amanpour, 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.

The Digital Award, new this year, was awarded to Sky News for Snapchat Discover and YouTube for the piece ‘Why are transgender people self-medicating?’

Including this new award, the 2020 ceremony recognised talent across the following categories: News Coverage – Home; News Coverage – International; Daily News Programme of the Year; News Channel of the Year; Breaking News; News Technology; Current Affairs – Home; Current Affairs – International; Nations and Regions News; Nations and Regions Current Affairs; Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year; Scoop of the Year; Specialist Journalist of the Year; Young Talent of the Year; Television Journalist of the Year; Camera Operator of the Year; Network Presenter of the Year; Digital Award and Interview of the Year. In addition, the Judges’ Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award was handed out at the discretion of the jury.

Simon Bucks, Chair, 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.”

Click here for the full list of winners

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 BBC One

Nominees:

Ben Martin – Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4

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 recognize 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.”