2019 INTERNATIONAL EMMY® AWARDS NOMINEES FOR NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS ANNOUNCED

Nominees from: Brazil, Sweden, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia and the United Kingdom

First time Emmy® Nomination for BBC World Service and for Nigeria

New York, August 6, 2019 – The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences today announced the nominees for the 2019 News & Current Affairs categories. Winners will be presented with Emmys in New York on September 24, at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The 8 nominees span 6 countries: Brazil, Nigeria, Sweden, Qatar, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The International Emmy winners will be recognized alongside their American news and documentary peers.

BBC World Service garnered its first ever Emmy nomination for a program from its Nigeria feed, making it a first nomination for BBC World Service and for Nigeria. The Current Affairs report covers the country’s devastating addiction to codeine cough syrup which reveals the horrors of an opioid crisis and exposes the corrupt forces behind it.

Additionally, Brazil’s TV Globo is nominated in both categories for the coverage of the killing of city councilor Marielle Franco (News) and 11 days in North Korea during the 70th anniversary of the nation’s founding (Current Affairs).

“Broadcast journalists give a voice to those who are silenced and shine a light on what is hidden, as demonstrated in this year’s nominated programs,” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “I believe it is more than ever our collective responsibility to protect their work; and defend freedom of the press, one of the great bulwarks of liberty.”

The full list of nominees follows.

 

2019 Nominees – News & Current Affairs 

 

News

Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks: The Cambridge Analytica Scandal
ITN / Channel 4 News 
United Kingdom 
In a series of reports, Channel 4 News’ investigation into controversial British data company Cambridge Analytica sparked the biggest international scandal of the year, prompting inquiries across the world, and wiping billions of dollars off the value of Facebook, forcing its Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress. Facing a wave of global scrutiny in the wake of our investigation, Cambridge Analytica collapsed.
 
Indonesia: Sulawesi Earthquake and Tsunami 
Al Jazeera English
Qatar
On September 28, 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves up to six meters high, and a deadly phenomenon called liquefaction. More than 2,000 people died and about 10,000 others were injured. As many as 5,000 people remain missing, presumed dead.
 
Jornal da Globo, Jornal Nacional and Fantastico: The Murder of Marielle Franco 
TV Globo / GloboNews
Brazil 
An outraged population asks: who killed city councilor Marielle Franco and her driver? Our reporters revealed CCTV footage indicating premeditated assassination; proof that the ammunition was stolen from federal police. This is the first interview with Marielle’s assistant, the sole survivor and witness of the attack.
 
Siberia Fire: Kemerovo Tragedy     
RT
Russia 
A blaze in a Siberian shopping mall claims the lives of 64 people, many of them children. RT is on the ground covering the personal stories and numerous acts of courage, as the survivors’ shock turns to anger and protests against the city’s authorities.
 

Current Affairs

BBC Africa Eye: Sweet Sweet Codeine     

BBC World Service 
Nigeria 
Sweet Sweet Codeine follows Nigerian journalists Ruona Meyer and Adejuwon Soyinka as they investigate their country’s devastating addiction to codeine cough syrup. This program reveals the horrors of an opioid crisis and exposes the corrupt forces behind it, resulting in a total ban of the drug in Nigeria.
 
Exposure: Iran Unveiled: Taking on the Ayatollahs     
ITV / Hardcash Productions
United Kingdom 
ITV goes undercover into Iran, filming the women who launched an unprecedented protest, challenging the country’s religious rulers. Forty years since the hijab was made compulsory, these women risk imprisonment and torture to demand freedom, in the year when the most widespread unrest against the Islamic Republic swept Iran.
 
Fantástico: 11 days in North Korea   
TV Globo / GloboNews 
Brazil 
11 days in North Korea draws a portrait of the country amidst the 70th anniversary of the nation’s founding. It also shows the dilemmas facing journalists that report on NK, and includes rare footage of forced labor in the countryside and unexpected real-life situations.
 
Uppdrag granskning: FN och mörkläggningen
(Mission Investigate: Deceptive Diplomacy)  
Sveriges Television (SVT) / Mission Investigate 
Sweden 
A leak from the UN headquarters revealed that the official version of the murder of the UN experts Zaida Catalán and Michael Sharp in Congo was false. The story, including secret agents, mass graves and deceptive diplomacy, became global news shaking the entire United Nations to its core.
 

About The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership-based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from over 60 countries and 500 companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology. The Academy’s yearly schedule of events includes the prestigious International Emmy® Awards held in New York, The International Emmy® Kids Awards at MIPTV and a series of industry events such as Academy Day, The International Emmy® World Television Festival and Panels on substantive industry topics. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognizes excellence in television produced outside of the United States, as well as US Primetime programs produced in languages other than English, with the prestigious Emmy® Award. Currently celebrating programming across varied areas including: Arts Programming, Current Affairs, Comedy, Documentary, Drama Series, News, Non-Scripted Entertainment, Short-Form Series; Telenovela, and TV Movie/Mini-Series, it also recognizes excellence in Performances and Kids programming. For more information, go to www.iemmys.tv


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