journalism

Britain suffered a late spring and early summer of terrorist and other man-made tragedies: the attacks at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, London Bridge and Finsbury Park, and the Grenfell Tower fire. There were moments of very raw emotion amid the days of live TV coverage and even during the later, more reflective, reporting.

An eye-witness told the BBC of a victim who had their throat cut by one of the London Bridge attackers. We watched live on ITV as an elderly man gazed helplessly out of his window in a blazing tower block wondering if he would be burned alive.

The former Chief Executive of ITN and Ofcom regulator made the decision to take part in the Great North Run on what would have been Hewlett's 59th birthday.

He said of his decision, “It seemed the perfect moment to confirm I was going to do it. I have shaken off a few injuries, which I picked-up during training and I will definitely get round the half marathon course."

This Wednesday saw The Royal Television Society bring together four generations of journalism; from current students, young journalists beginning their careers, established professionals and affectionately titled “elder statesmen”, to celebrate and showcase some of the amazing work by the three nominees for Young Journalist of the Year in this year’s RTS Scotland Awards on 17th May.

At the age of 24, James travelled to Syria to report on the early days of conflict and wrote for several UK newspapers including The Telegraph while there. 

A fluent Arabic and French speaker, Longman has worked as Beirut Correspondent for the BBC on the conflict in Syria and the Middle East and has reported on terrorist incidents across Europe, including two weeks of continuous live reporting during the terrorist attacks in Paris and Nice.

Any politician who uses the words ‘fake news’ to describe something they don’t like from their opponent should be assaulted verbally by people in their own party and fellow parliamentarians – we have to fight for language,” Nick Robinson told an RTS early-evening event discussing false news and alternative facts.

At the event in late February, chaired by former ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis, Robinson argued for the continuation of “impartiality as a legal requirement for television news”.

Watch the panel discuss what the future holds for journalists and consumers in an era of fake news.

Read the full event report here.

Hewlett, who died last week, charted his battle against cancer through his columns in The Observer and in interviews with Eddie Mair on BBC Radio Four.

Channel 4 News took home a raft of awards including Daily News Programme of the Year and Television Journalist of the Year, which was awarded to Matt Frei. 

Syrian film-maker Waad al-Kateab was at the ceremony having been granted a visa by the Foreign Office to travel here after leaving Syria. She received the Young Talent of the Year Award and was also awarded the prize for Camera Operator of the Year – the first time this award has been won by a female.