What it Takes: Video News
A news clip might last 90 seconds. A live broadcast can flash by in even less. But what the viewer sees on screen is only the final product of a long, often intricate process: planning, filming, editing, scripting, and responding to the unpredictability of real-world events.
Whether it’s covering a Prime Minister’s press conference, the fallout from a high-profile court verdict, or the emotional victory of a sporting hero, video journalists bring together technical precision and editorial judgement under intense time pressure.
In honour of the skills behind video news gathering, the news and television industries identify the best talent behind the most compelling visual storytelling. Winners of the 2025 RTS Television Journalism Awards reveal the high bar the industry sets for broadcast storytelling. Take BBC’s award-winning coverage of the Trump assassination attempt: composed, calm, and accurate even as events unfolded in real time. Or the BBC World Service team behind Disciples – The Cult of TB Joshua, who used tailored digital video formats—six of them for TikTok alone—to reach hard-to-engage audiences with deep, investigative content.
This is not stock footage for AI training. This is news as it happens, told by professionals trained to capture moments in motion with clarity, speed, and accuracy. And this work deserves robust protection. As the NMC continues to advocate, policy must ensure that machine learning systems do not undermine or cannibalise the work of trained camera crews, editors, producers, and presenters.
“The Discord Leaks” examines how a young National Guardsman allegedly leaked classified documents onto the Discord chat platform. A collaborative months-long investigation by The Washington Post and “Frontline” reveals details about Jack Teixeira’s alleged leak of classified U.S. intelligence, why he wasn’t stopped, and the role of platforms like Discord. “The Discord Leaks” was awarded as best Digital Video Storytelling, Long Form, Large Newsroom at the 2024 Online Journalism Awards (OJAs)
