'Bold and brave' Sky News takes top prize at television journalism awards

Sky News was named News Channel of the Year at the Royal Television Society's Television Journalism Awards last night.

The channel beat the BBC and Al Jazeera English to win the award and was congratulated for being "bold and brave" and showing "a new and exciting commitment to foreign coverage".

The awards, which were hosted by Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy, celebrate creativity and excellence in journalism in UK news and current affairs coverage by organisations broadcasting in the UK and their suppliers.

Accepting the News Channel of the Year award at last night’s ceremony, John Ryley, head of Sky News, paid tribute the team at Sky, according to a release from the broadcaster, "who over the past 22 years have made the channel the success it is today", he said.

Sky News' Alex Crawford was again named as Television Journalist of the Year, the second year running she has received the accolade, with judges commending her "complete mastery of the reporter's art". The broadcaster's news channel also scooped the News Coverage (Home) prize for its Student Protest report.

ITV News at Ten was awarded the prize for News Programme of the Year, one of four awards for ITV.

ITV also claimed the Nations and Regions News Programme award for ITV Border's The Cumbria Shootings - Day 1 and the News Coverage (International) prize for ITN's reporting of the Haiti Earthquake for ITV News.

There was also individual success for ITV News' Rohit Kachroo, who was named Young Journalist of the Year, praised by the judges who said he would "shine out" against journalists twice his age.

"To win so many RTS Journalism Awards is a welcome recognition that ITN is right at the top of its game," John Hardie, CEO at ITN said in a release.

"Such an unrivalled crop is testament to the skill and dedication of our people and the consistent support from our partners at ITV and Channel 4."

The Judges' Award went to ITV, BBC and Sky's Negotiating Teams for the prime ministerial debates, who together, after months of negotiations, drew up a "genuinely historic agreement" on how the debates would take place, the judges said.

The BBC also won four awards, including BBC Northern Ireland collecting both the Nations and Regions Current Affairs and News Event award and Scoop of the Year prize for Spotlight: The Iris Robinson Investigation.

Other awards included the Innovative News award which went to CNN International for its World Cup Twitter Buzz data visualisation and a Lifetime Achievement award, which went to David Dimbleby on his 50th year with the BBC.

Judges described Dimbledy as "a giant of television journalism".

Full list of the winners:

Young Journalist of the Year
Rohit Kachroo - ITV News ITN for ITV News

Nations and Regions News Programme
The Cumbria Shootings - Day 1 ITV Border

Nations and Regions Current Affairs and News Event
Spotlight: The Iris Robinson Investigation BBC Northern Ireland

News Coverage - Home
Student Protest Sky News

Current Affairs - Home
Panorama: Kids in Care Films of Record/BBC Current Affairs for BBC One

Current Affairs - International
The Wounded Platoon Mongoose Pictures for WGBH/BBC Two

News Coverage - International
Haiti Earthquake ITN for ITV News

Scoop of the Year
Spotlight: The Iris Robinson Investigation BBC Northern Ireland

Presenter of the Year
Jon Snow - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News

Innovative News
World Cup Twitter Buzz Data Visualisation CNN International

The Independent Award
Baby Landina - Inigo Gilmore Channel 4 News

Camera Operator of the Year
Raul Gallego Abellan Associated Press Television News

News Programme of the Year
ITV News At Ten ITN for ITV News

News Channel of the Year
Sky News

Specialist Journalist
Gary Gibbon - Channel 4 News ITN for Channel 4 News

Television Journalist of the Year
Alex Crawford Sky News

Judges' Award
BBC, ITV and Sky Negotiating Teams for the prime ministerial debates

Lifetime Achievement
David Dimbleby

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