Channel 4 News wins Peabody Award

24 April 2019

Undercover investigation into Cambridge Analytica scoops "Pulitzer of broadcasting"

Channel 4 News has won a prestigious Peabody Award for its undercover investigation into Cambridge Analytica.

The Peabody Awards are one of America's oldest and most prominent prizes and honours "the best of the best" out of more than 1200 entries across television, radio, podcast and web programming broadcast in 2018. For 78 years, they have represented “the most intelligent, powerful and moving stories told each year in broadcasting and digital media”. 

Presenter Jon Snow announced the “good news” on Channel 4 News last night.

In an email to staff, Channel 4 News editor, Ben de Pear said: “Congratulations to you all, and in particular, Job Rabkin and his investigations unit who worked tirelessly and meticulously for 4-months, making the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Facebook data breach the biggest investigation in Channel 4 News’ history. It is very rare for a non-US broadcaster to win a Peabody.

“Our ‘Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks’ investigation has rightly scooped every major award so far this year. Now, we can proudly add the "Pulitzer of broadcasting" to the awards shelf.”

The series, branded Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks, began on 17 March 2018, when Channel 4 News broadcast an exclusive TV interview with the Cambridge Analytica whistle-blower Chris Wylie, in collaboration with The Observer and The New York Times.

In a series of exclusive and ground-breaking reports, Channel 4 News’s investigation into the controversial British data company sparked the biggest international scandal of the year, prompting inquiries across the world, wiping billions of dollars off the value of Facebook and 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.

The Channel 4 News investigation has won several RTS awards, an Online Media Award, British Journalism Award, Broadcast Award and is nominated for a BAFTA award.

Watch the full Channel 4 News series into ‘Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks’.

The 30 Peabody Award winners selected across broadcasting and digital media will be honoured at a ceremony hosted by Ronan Farrow in New York in May.

ends