Old-style gongs

The Royal Television Society Journalism Awards 2023 had a feel of the old order, of say, 15 or twenty years ago - nicely spread, almost as though there'd been some coordination.

Four for ITN - Paul Brand for Political Journalist, and for his scoop, Partygate, and the News Coverage Home award for general coverage of the story. Proper recognition for a story that dislodged a Prime Minister.  The fourth for ITV News Granada coverage of the Manchester Arena Enquiry. One shared between ITV and Motherwell-based DM Productions, with David Modell's special on Channel crossings. 

Two for Sky - News Channel plus Network Journalist of the Year for Stuart Ramsay. 

CNN International won the Breaking News award for their coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. 

News agency AP can claim Camera Operator of the Year, for Mstyslav Chernov, although he's much more than that, as director of the 90 minute documentary 20 Days in Mariupol. Working alongside him in Mariupol was Vasilisa Stepanenko, a Ukrainian freelance journalist and video producer, who'd just started with AP - she won Young Talent. 

Deborah Turness, CEO BBC News, could have claimed credit for the ITN awards; instead she noted 10 awards to 'BBC Journalism'. Some were outside her direct ownership - Mark Daly's Disclosure for BBC Scotland, on ferry building contracts; Jax Sinclair's short fort Disclosure 'Should I Tell You I'm Trans ?'; and Colin Campbell, BBC South East for a portfolio of complex crime stories.  

Debs can claim Clive Myrie, presenter; Huw Edwards' News at Ten, programme of the year; Michael Buchanan, specialist journalist; Undercover Votes, an innovation from Newsnight; Steve Rosenberg's half-hour toe-to-toe with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko as Interview of the Year; and the award for International Coverage to BBC News for Ukraine reporting. 

A sort-of-turning-up-when-not-expected gong ought to go to host Dan Walker, now with Channel 5/ITV, after his horror cycle crash. 

"I’m up here on stage largely because of drugs and make up. I’ve lost all my inhibitions. To give you an idea of my mental state, if a weather presenter was to question me in any way shape or form I’m liable to storm off stage in an enormous huff. I might even go so far as to start a new TV channel based entirely on my ego which no-one will watch"