The Chairs of the Judging Panels

Credit: Veljko Djurovic

The Rory Peck Award for Hard News

Richard Tait

2003 was the year too many friends and colleagues, through no fault of their own, got too close to the action. The terrible death toll in Iraq shows that frontline television journalism, despite growing efforts to improve safety standards, has never been more dangerous. Freelancers are routinely where the action is and this year’s impressive entries for the Hard News Award underline the risks they are running and how directly involved they now are in the events they are trying to cover.

Take, for example, a couple of this year’s entries, which in other years might well have made the final three. On the day that Baghdad fell, Veljko Djurovic walked out of his hotel with a mobile digital link on his camera to produce two hours of remarkable live coverage of the arrival of American troops for Sky News. This was the first time a Rory Peck news jury had to judge a live entry - with the advances in technology it will surely not be the last.

Credit: Tim Lambon

A day later, the same city and Tim Lambon, working for Channel Four News, films his interpreter risking his life to save a five-year-old girl shot by US soldiers, then puts down his camera to use his paramedic skills to help other injured civilians.

Freelancers, perhaps more than any other group of professionals in the world of broadcast news, deliberately put themselves in harm’s way as a matter of course. My congratulations and respect to all the entries this year - winners or not - who showed the incredible courage and skill with which they do a job which is becoming more important - and more risky - every year.

Richard Tait is Professor of Journalism and Director of the Centre for Journalism Studies, Cardiff University. He was formerly editor-in-chief of ITN, 1995-2002.

The Rory Peck Award for Features

Sheena McDonald

Credit: David Norman-Watt

What hallmarks these awards is their complexity: it’s not enough to be able to use the equipment fast and well - you also need to bring a journalistic eye to the subject you’re filming. The converse is also true - having an eye for an original story won’t transform into effectively communicating that story if you don’t apply the necessary skills. Our judging panel reflected the breadth of ability needed to succeed in this image-crowded world, and we saw much that we genuinely admired - to the extent that a let-them-all-win-prizes caucus-race mentality was lurking in the wings! For instance, David Notman-Watt’s feature about female genital mutilation was very highly commended, due to its unsensationalist and humane treatment of what, I think, many of us see as unspeakable child-abuse. The three features we selected represent camerawork at its best - brave without being bravado-driven, and in dogged pursuit of that most elusive quarry - truth.
Sheena McDonald is a freelance journalist and broadcaster

The Sony International Impact Award

Thomas Roth

Frankly speaking - I was worried before the screening. We all know from our experience “in the field” of crisis areas and war zones what kind of footage will come up and what it exactly means to watch it. Especially when we are dealing with footage which is handed in for the different categories of the Rory Peck Awards. But then again, what kind of work is the work of a jury compared to the work of the cameramen out there: no danger, no possibility of coming under fire as lots of our colleagues came in Iraq, in Africa, Asia or Afghanistan.

Finally I remembered what Rory Peck was always saying with whom I had the pleasure and honour of working together in Russia and different parts of the former Soviet Union: “Thomas”, he said, “whether juries are appreciating our work or not, it has to be good and we have to do it anyway.” Of course Rory was right. However, it wasn’t exactly easy to watch the footage handed in for the Sony International Impact Award and to decide who will be the winner. Almost all of it was outstanding, moving, some of it even deeply shocking. Nevertheless we finally reached a unanimous decision within the jury and chose a truly stunning work.

Thomas Roth is Bureau chief/editor-in-chief, ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin

The Rory Peck Awards Brochure 2003

• Programme
• Rory Peck - the symbol for them all
• From the Chairman
• Keeping True
• From Sony
• The Trust and Sony
• Judges' Reports
• The Overseas Project
• Acknowledgements
• Winners and Finalists

  
  

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