“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” the AJ+ news story from Palestinian journalist/activist/filmmaker Bisan Owda that sparked controversy after earning a News and Documentary Emmy nomination earlier this year, has now won that Emmy.
The report won the outstanding hard news feature story—short form category on Wednesday during the news portion of the two-day 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmys, held by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. After the project’s nomination, there were calls by the U.S.-based nonprofit Creative Community For Peace for the nomination to be rescinded, with a letter signed by the Hollywood notables including of Debra Messing, Sherry Lansing, Haim Saban and others accusing Owda of having ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a United States-designated terrorist group.
“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” which had previously won a Peabody, uses social media to chronicle Owda’s family’s plight as they flee bombardment of their home in Gaza City.
In response, NATAS president Adam Sharp said that Owda’s nomination would not be rescinded, writing in a letter that “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” was “reviewed by two successive panels of independent judges, including senior editorial leadership from each significant U.S. broadcast news network,” and also noted that it had been recognized by the Peabody and the Edward R. Murrow Awards.
“NATAS is aware of reports, cited in your letter and initially surfaced by a communications consultant in the region, that appear to show a then-teenaged Bisan Owda speaking at various PFLP-associated events between six and nine years ago,” he added. “NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organization. Most critically, the content submitted for award consideration was consistent with competition rules and NATAS policies.”
The Israel-Gaza war was the subject of several winners at Wednesday night’s ceremony, including the outstanding breaking news coverage Emmy, which went to CNN for its reports on the conflict. CNN also won the outstanding continuing news coverage: short form Emmy for journalist Clarissa Ward’s reports, while the outstanding continuing news coverage: short form Emmy went to CNN’s “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” and “Anderson Cooper 360” for its coverage of “Terror in Israel.” ABC’s ABC News Live won the outstanding live interview—short form for its coverage of “Israeli Leader Speaks Out.”
Overall, CNN led the evening with ten wins, including five for “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” while ABC and Nat Geo both landed five wins each (ABC News itself had eight, including three credited to Hulu). Nat Geo’s “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” also earned five Emmys, tied with Cooper for the most on the night.
Other outlets receiving Emmys included ProPublica/New Yorker (3), CBS (3), Univision (2) and Al Jazeera (2). Landing its first Emmy was Scripps News.
ABC won the outstanding live news program Emmy for “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir.”
Longtime broadcast journalist and author Jane Pauley, currently the host of “CBS News Sunday Morning,” received a lifetime achievement award on Wednesday’s news-focused ceremony, while Thursday’s documentary-centric event will honor documentarian/director Alex Gibney with a lifetime achievement award as well.
The 45th annual News & Documentary Emmys, administered by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, is taking place over two nights (Wednesday, Sept. 25 and Thursday, Sept. 26) at New York’s Palladium Times Square. It is streamed on NATAS’ viewing app.
Here are the winners (and nominees) announced on Wednesday across across 45 news categories:
OUTSTANDING LIVE NEWS PROGRAM
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (CBS)
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis (ABC)
WINNER: ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (ABC)
Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (NBC)
OUTSTANDING RECORDED NEWS PROGRAM
20/20 (ABC)
CBS Sunday Morning (CBS)
Impact x Nightline (Hulu) [ABC News Studios]
Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING EMERGING JOURNALIST
Ellison Barber (NBC)
WINNER: Nada Bashir (CNN)
Dasha Burns (NBC)
Jeremy Diamond (CNN)
Ashan Singh (ABC)
OUTSTANDING BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
Attack on Israel – October 7 NBC News Specials & Saturday Today (NBC | Peacock)
Israel at War — ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (ABC)
WINNER: Israel-Hamas War (CNN)
Mass Shooting and Manhunt in Lewiston, Maine — ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis (ABC)
Tyre Nichols — The ReidOut (MSNBC)
OUTSTANDING CONTINUING NEWS COVERAGE: SHORT FORM
WINNER: Clarissa Ward Covers the Israel-Hamas War (CNN)
David Culver Covers the Migrant Crisis — AC360 (CNN)
Israel – Gaza War (BBC World News)
War in Gaza (The New York Times)
War in Ukraine: Hope, Death and Defiance (BBC World News)
OUTSTANDING CONTINUING NEWS COVERAGE: LONG FORM
Richard Engel Reports: Rise of Wagner — On Assignment with Richard Engel (NBC)
WINNER: Terror in Israel Series — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
Uvalde 365 — 20/20 & ABC News Live (ABC)
War in the Holy Land — PBS NewsHour (PBS)
OUTSTANDING SOFT FEATURE STORY: SHORT FORM
How a 1968 Student Protest Fueled a Chicano Rights Movement (Retro Report)
On the Frontlines of the Abortion War: Death Threats and Arsons— Vice News Tonight (Vice)
WINNER: South Sudan: Isolated by Water and War — ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (ABC)
This Land… Eatonville, FL — CBS Sunday Morning (CBS)
Uvalde 365: Recovering from Robb — ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis (ABC)
OUTSTANDING SOFT FEATURE STORY: LONG FORM
After the Blast: The Will to Survive (ABC) [ABC News Studios]
WINNER: It Happened Here: A Year in Uvalde — 20/20 (ABC)
Moving Isa (Business Insider)
The Army We Had —Op-Docs (The New York Times)
What Happened to San Francisco? —The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING HARD NEWS FEATURE STORY: SHORT FORM
‘I Cry Quietly’: A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War (The New York Times)
Clarissa Ward Reports from Rafah Field Hospital in Gaza (CNN)
Haiti in Crisis — PBS NewsHour (PBS)
How I Survive: A Seven-Year-Old’s Life in Gaza — The Guardian Focus (The Guardian)
WINNER: It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive — Aj+ Reports (AJ+)
OUTSTANDING HARD NEWS FEATURE STORY: LONG FORM
After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | Futuro Investigates | The Texas Tribune]
The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate — Vice Special Report (Vice)
Exclusive: Inside a Ukrainian Battlefield Hospital (The New York Times)
WINNER: Inside Wagner: The Rise of Russia’s Notorious Mercenaries — Vice Special Report (Vice)
The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
Warped By War: Inside Putin’s Russia — Vice Special Report (Vice)
OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE NEWS COVERAGE: SHORT FORM
The Coast Guard’s Secret (CNN)
Dishonored (CBS)
NBC News Investigates: Hospital Giant Putting Profits Over Patients? —NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (NBC)
WINNER: Poisoned Water (Scripps News)
Visual Evidence Shows Israel Dropped 2,000-Pound Bombs Where It Ordered – Gaza’s Civilians to Move for Safety (The New York Times)
OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE NEWS COVERAGE: LONG FORM
Inside the Uvalde Response — Frontline (PBS) [ProPublica | Frontline |The Texas Tribune]
Nima Elbagir Covers the War in Sudan (CNN)
The Discord Leaks — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | The Washington Post]
Shadow Men: Inside Wagner, Russia’s Secret War Company (The Wall Street Journal)
Terrorist Oil — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: Going Home: The War in Sudan — The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING LIVE NEWS SPECIAL
The 17th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute (CNN)
WINNER: A CNN Town Hall: Toxic Train Disaster, Ohio Residents Speak Out (CNN)
Maui Strong, ABC News, 08/17/23 — Good Morning America (ABC)
Navalny and the Cost of Standing Up to Putin —CNN Primetime (CNN)
OUTSTANDING RECORDED NEWS SPECIAL
Campaign of Deceit: The Election of George Santos — CBS Reports (CBS)
How Saba Kept Singing — Retro Report (PBS) [Retro Report | HiddenLight Productions | Burnt Umber Productions | The WNET Group]
WINNER: Our Barbara — 20/20 (ABC)
Uvalde: 365 Presents: Crisis of Command (ABC)
The Will to Win: Ukraine at War — CNN Special Report (CNN)
OUTSTANDING NEWS DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS
America Addicted: The Fentanyl Crisis — Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
WINNER: Guns: Three American Stories — Meet The Press Reports (NBC News Now)
Justice for Tyre — Nightline (ABC)
Nothing But the Truth — The Circus (Showtime) [Left/Right]
This Week: Live From Tel Aviv — ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos (ABC)
OUTSTANDING NEWS DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS: EDITORIAL AND OPINION
WINNER (TIE): Meet the World’s Most Honorable Bank Robbers — The New York Times Opinion (The New York Times)
WINNER: The Night Doctrine (ProPublica and The New Yorker)
They Know What They Did. They’d Like You to Know Who They’ve Become — The New York Times Opinion (The New York Times)
We Went to Puerto Rico: The Inequality We Saw Will Shock You (More Perfect Union)
Your Rewards Card Is Actually Bad for You, and for Everyone Else (The New York Times) — The New York Times Opinion (The New York Times)
OUTSTANDING LIVE INTERVIEW—SHORT FORM
A Father’s Plea: Interview with Thomas Hand (CBS)
Interview with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — Face the Nation (CBS)
Interview with Hunter Biden’s Attorney Chris Clark — Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC (MSNBC)
Interview with The House Majority Leader — ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos (ABC)
WINNER: Israeli Leader Speaks Out —ABC News Live (ABC)
One on One with John Lauro — ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos (ABC)
OUTSTANDING LIVE INTERVIEW—LONG FORM
One-on-One with Cassidy Hutchinson — The Lead with Jake Tapper (CNN)
The Death of Tyre Nichols: A Family Speaks — ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis (ABC)
WINNER: Christiane Amanpour interviews Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian — Amanpour (CNN)
Christiane Amanpour interviews Queen Raina Al Abdullah — Amanpour (CNN)
Christiane Amanpour interviews Siamak Namazi from inside Iran’s Evin Prison — Amanpour (CNN)
One-on-One with Cassidy Hutchinson — The Lead with Jake Tapper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING EDITED INTERVIEW
The Attorney General — 60 Minutes (CBS)
WINNER: The Hostage Story — 60 Minutes (CBS)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi — Fareed Zakaria GPS (CNN)
Vice World News Meets: Imran Khan (Vice)
Wolf Blitzer Interview with Gali Idan in Israel — The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (CNN)
OUTSTANDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COVERAGE
CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan Covers Science and Technology (CNN)
Revolution — 60 Minutes (CBS)
WINNER: Trafficked: Cyber Pirates — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Voices of Nature — In Real Life (Scripps News)
Weaponization of Data — The Future with Hannah Fry (Bloomberg)
OUTSTANDING CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND WEATHER COVERAGE
Can We Really Rewild the Planet? — The Future with Hannah Fry (Bloomberg)
How to Unscrew a Planet — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
WINNER: The Shark Fin Hunters — Fault Lines (Al Jazeera)
The Sperm Whales of Domenica — 60 Minutes (CBS)
Toxic Farmland — Vice Special Report (Vice)
OUTSTANDING HEALTH OR MEDICAL COVERAGE
Black Market Organs —Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Homebirth Journey: Saving Black Moms — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
WINNER: On the Brink — Impact x Nightline (Hulu) [ABC News Studios]
The Trans Parent Trap — Transnational (Vice)
Without Roe: The New Abortion Landscape — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING ARTS, CULTURE OR ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE
50 Years Fly: The Rise, Fall and Revolution of Hip-Hop Fashion — NBC News Digital (NBC)
James Nachtwey — 60 Minutes (CBS)
The New Face of Hollywood — A Soul of a Nation Presentation — Soul of a Nation (ABC)
WINNER: Rap Trap: Hip Hop On Trial (Hulu) [ABC News Studios]
Fight Clubs — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
OUTSTANDING BUSINESS, CONSUMER OR ECONOMIC COVERAGE
America’s Dangerous Trucks — Frontline (PBS) [ProPublica | Frontline]
WINNER: Black Market Babies — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Crypto Scams — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Making a Killing: The Chinese Mafia Transforming the Global Drug Trade— Vice Special Report (Vice)
Our Mistake is Your Responsibility — 60 Minutes (CBS)
We Went to East Palestine: What We Saw Will Shock You (More Perfect Union)
OUTSTANDING CRIME AND JUSTICE COVERAGE
Gangs — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Ghost Guns — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: Grand Knighthawk: Infiltrating the KKK (Hulu) [ABC News Studios | The Associated Press]
Inside Iran: What Happened to Iran’s Women-led Uprising? (Vice)
Stealing Ukraine’s Children: Inside Russia’s Camps (Vice)
OUTSTANDING NEWS PROGRAM IN SPANISH
Al Punto (Univision)
Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
Despierta America (Univision)
Noticias Telemundo (Telemundo)
WINNER: Noticiero Univision (Univision)
OUTSTANDING JOURNALIST IN SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA
Victor Andrade (Entravision Communications)
Albert Martinez (The Weather Channel en Español)
Jorge Ramos (Univision)
WINNER: Pedro Ultreras (Univision)
Julio Vaqueiro (Telemundo)
OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN SPANISH
Acapulco Devastado por Otis — Noticiero Univision (Univision)
Acuérdate de Acapulco — Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
Guerra en tierra Santa — Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
Guerra Israel-Hamás — Noticiero Univision (Univision)
WINNER: Huracan Otis – Furia Repentina — Noticias Telemundo (Telemundo)
OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE NEWS COVERAGE IN SPANISH
WINNER: Las Armas de Ovidio — N+ Focus (VIX | TelevisaUnivision)
Fentanilo llega a la escuela — Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
Decisiones: Datos y Cambio Climático (The Weather Channel en Español)
Executions in Tamaulipas — Noticiero Univision (Univision)
Si no pagas, no pasas — N+ Focus (VIX | TelevisaUnivision)
OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN SPANISH
WINNER: Los buscadores de migrantes perdidos en el desierto de Sonora (BBC News Mundo)
The Confession — Fault Lines (Al Jazeera)
No me olvides: el creciente drama del alzhéimer en la comunidad hispana — Univision News Digital (Univision)
Río de Armas, Dinero y Muerte — En Punto (VIX)
Victoria — Op-Docs (The New York Times)
OUTSTANDING WRITING: NEWS
After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | Futuro Investigates | The Texas Tribune]
This Ancient Atrocity — 60 Minutes (CBS)
Clarissa Ward’s Exclusive Report From Inside Gaza (CNN)
It Happened Here: A Year in Uvalde — 20/20 (ABC)
WINNER: The Trek: A Migrant’s Trail to America — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH: NEWS
WINNER: Adrift: An AP Investigation — The Associated Press (apnews.com)
Failure at the Fence — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | The Washington Post]
Fentanyl: The Silent Toll (Scripps News)
Inside the Uvalde Response — Frontline (PBS) [ProPublica | Frontline | The Texas Tribune]
The Looting of Cambodia — 60 Minutes (CBS)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION: NEWS
WINNER: Black in Vegas — ABC News Soul of a Nation (ABC)
The Freedom to Exist — ABC News Soul of a Nation (ABC)
Ghost Guns — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
GMA’s Maui Strong 08/17/2023 — Good Morning America (ABC)
Today: October 9th, 2023 — Today (NBC)
OUTSTANDING VIDEO JOURNALISM
Exclusive: Inside a Ukrainian Battlefield Hospital (The New York Times)
Ghost Guns — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
MDMA — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: Terrorist Oil — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
The Trek: A Migrant’s Trail to America — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING EDITING: NEWS
Failure at the Fence — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | The Washington Post]
WINNER: Ghost Guns — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Grand Knighthawk: Infiltrating the KKK (Hulu) [ABC News Studios | The Associated Press]
It Happened Here: A Year in Uvalde — 20/20 (ABC)
MDMA — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN: NEWS
50 Years Fly: The Rise, Fall and Revolution of Hip-Hop Fashion — NBC News Digital (NBC)
A Soldier’s Struggle with PTSD (CNN)
Meet the Press (NBC)
Stay Tuned — NBC News Digital (NBC)
Texas Tornado Virtual Explainer — HoyDía (Telemundo)
WINNER: The Night Doctrine (ProPublica and The New Yorker)
OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION: NEWS
CNN News Central (CNN)
The Discord Leaks — Frontline (PBS) [Frontline | The Washington Post]
WINNER: The Night Doctrine (ProPublica and The New Yorker)
OUTSTANDING SOUND: NEWS
Black Market Babies — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
Black Market Organs — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
MDMA — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: The Trek: A Migrant’s Trail to America — The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN)
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DIRECTION: NEWS
The 17th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute (CNN)
Ghost Guns — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
WINNER: MDMA — Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic) [Muck Media]
The Playlist — ABC News Live (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION / SET DECORATION / SCENIC DESIGN: NEWS
The 17th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute (CNN)
Hip Hip @50: Rhythms, Rhymes with & Reflection — Soul of a Nation (ABC)
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE: NEWS
CNN’s Fourth in America (CNN)
Earthquake in Turkey — ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (ABC)
WINNER: FloodFX – Florida Storms (Idalia) — Tracking Idalia (The Weather Channel)
OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT: NEWS
WINNER: 60 Minutes: “It’s Time for…” — 60 Minutes (CBS)
ABC News – After The Blast: The Will to Survive (ABC)
Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview–A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph (ABC)
Moderator — CBS News Face the Nation (CBS)
Power — The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (CBS)
INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD: NEWS
WINNER: “Inside Gaza: Israel and Hamas at War” (Channel 4 News, United Kingdom)
INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD: CURRENT AFFAIRS
WINNER: “The Last Hospital: 30 Days in Myanmar” (Sky News, United Kingdom)
REGIONAL NEWS STORY: BREAKING/SPOT NEWS
WINNER: “December Tornado Outbreak” (WDSU)
Source Agencies
