The BBC’s controversial coverage of the police raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s home has been shortlisted for scoop of the year at the prestigious Royal Television Society journalism awards.
BBC News was nominated for news channel of the year, along with Sky News and CNN, but there was no nomination for any of the corporation’s flagship news bulletins, with the daily news programme prize going to either Channel 4 News, ITV News at Ten or 5 News, all made by ITN.
The BBC’s exclusive coverage of the raid on Richard’s £3.5m Berkshire home by police investigating allegations of historical sexual abuse prompted accusations that the corporation was participating in a witch hunt and behaving like the worst tabloid newspapers.
Richard’s law firm said the BBC’s reporting last August had done “immeasurable harm” to the singer and was “both premature and disproportionate”. Richard described the accusations as “completely false”.
The BBC’s coverage prompted a row with South Yorkshire police and was the subject of an inquiry by Labour MP Keith Vaz’s home affairs select committee. Vaz concluded that the BBC had acted “perfectly proportionately”, while criticising the South Yorkshire force’s handling of the raid.
The Richard raid is shortlisted along with another BBC scoop, its Panorama programme about Mazher Mahmood, which the former News of the World investigative reporter tried to stop, and a Spotlight programme from BBC Northern Ireland, A Woman Alone with the IRA.
Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham, the co-presenters of ITV’s News at Ten, are each nominated for the presenter of the year award, along with Emily Maitlis, the Newsnight presenter who lost out to Evan Davis as the main anchor of the BBC2 show.
The BBC’s Lyse Doucet, ITV’s James Mates and Matt Frei of Channel 4 News are nominated for TV journalist of the year.
The winners will collect their awards at a ceremony at the London Hilton, Park Lane, on Wednesday 18 February.
Royal Television Society Journalism Awards – in full
Camera Operator of the Year
Todd Baxter, CNN International
Nik Millard, BBC News
Andriy Perun, Reuters
Current Affairs - Home
Panorama: Britain’s Secret Terror Force; twenty2vision for BBC1
Dispatches: Breadline Kids; True Vision for Channel 4
The Gypsy Matchmaker; Minnow Films for Channel 4
Current Affairs - International
This World: Terror at the Mall; Amos Pictures for BBC2
Dispatches: Children on the Frontline; ITN Productions for Channel 4
Al-Jazeera Investigates – Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787; Al-Jazeera English
Daily News Programme of the Year
Channel 4 News; ITN for Channel 4
5 News; ITN for Channel 5
ITV News at Ten; ITN for ITV
Nations and Regions Current Affairs
Cardiff to Syria – Journey to Jihad; BBC Wales – Week In Week Out
Who Murdered Maxine? BBC West Midlands
A Woman Alone with the IRA; BBC Northern Ireland – Spotlight
Nations and Regions News
BBC South East Today; BBC South East
ITV News West Country (West)
Tour de France, Grand Depart; Calendar – ITV Yorkshire
Network Presenter of the Year
Mark Austin – ITV News at Ten; ITN for ITV
Julie Etchingham – ITV News at Ten; ITN for ITV
Emily Maitlis – Newsnight; BBC for BBC2
News Channel of the Year
BBC News Channel; BBC News for BBC
CNN International
Sky News
News Coverage – Home
Independence referendum; ITN for Channel 4 News
Floods; Sky News
Jihadi Terror; ITN for ITV News
News Coverage - International
Gaza; BBC News for BBC
Ukraine; ITN for ITV News
Iraq crisis; ITN for ITV News
News Technology
Stand Up Be Counted; Sky News
A Cloud over Copacabana; BBC’s World Cup Data Network – BBC News
Drone Camera; Tacloban – CNN International
Regional Presenter of the Year
Ian Axton – ITV News West Country; ITV West Country
Polly Evans – BBC South East Today; BBC South East
Harry Gration MBE - BBC Look North
Scoop of the Year
Cliff Richard raid’ BBC News for BBC
Panorama: The Fake Sheikh Exposed; BBC for BBC One
A Woman Alone with the IRA; BBC Northern Ireland – Spotlight
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Alison Holt; BBC News
James Mates; ITV News ITN for ITV
Fergus Walsh; BBC News
Television Journalist of the Year
Lyse Doucet – BBC News
Matt Frei – Channel 4 News; ITN for Channel 4
James Mates – ITV News; ITN for ITV
The Independent Award
The Minova Rape Trial; Studio 9 Films for Newsnight
Unreported World: The Invisible People; Quicksilver Media for Channel 4
Bruce Lee, King of the Sewers; Ecostorm for Channel 4 News
Young Talent of the Year
Dan Ashby; ITV News Tyne Tees
Mstyslav Chernov; APTN – APTN Global Video Wire and Media Port
Fatima Manji – Channel 4 News; ITN for Channel 4
