Al Jazeera Scores First International Emmy Nods

NEW YORK, August 14: The International
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for the
news and current-affairs categories of the International Emmys, with first-time
nods for Al Jazeera, while Brazil’s TV Globo and Romania’s Pro TV are in the
running for the second year in a row.

Winners will be announced
at a ceremony at the Frederick P. Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New
York City on September 22, 2008, alongside their American news and documentary
counterparts. The other International Emmy awards will be presented at a gala
ceremony in November.

“Independent jurors from
many nations have selected programs from organizations as diverse as Al
Jazeera, TV Globo and ITV to compete for the International Emmy—further
proof that a new standard of excellence in television journalism is rapidly
developing around the world,” said Bruce L. Paisner, the president and CEO of The International Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences, who is also the president of Hearst Entertainment.

Al Jazeera English’s Kuala
Lumpur News Hour—Popular Uprising in Myanmar & Military Crackdown is nominated in the news category, alongside ITV
News’s Zimbabwe—The Tyranny and the Tragedy, TV Globo’s Jornal Nacional—TAM Accident and Pro TV News’s Any Idea of What Your Kid is
Doing Right Now?

In current affairs, CBC’s The
Fifth Estate—Cruel Camera is
a contender, with TV Globo’s Hot Line—Césio 137, SBS Broadcasting’s Peter R. de
Vries—Natalee Holloway and
Al Jazeera English’s Witness—Red Mosque.

—By Mansha Daswani