News anchors are meant to show interest and feeling for the stories they are reading to the audience, they are the voice of authority, no matter the content.
But in fairness, they are also only human, and sometimes – especially during the summer months, better known as the “silly season” – it is not always easy to feel the passion the author of the story might have intended.
BBC News’ Simon McCoy recently gave a good example of where an anchor’s despair at a story is obvious from the outset.
McCoy starts with a preemptive “Now bear in mind that it is August,” before he goes on to provide a narrative over video footage of surfing dogs in what is obviously a less than enthusiastic tone.
At one point his frustrated sighs can even be heard. But the best is left until the end, when the video finishes and the shot cuts back to McCoy in the BBC News studio and he says: “That’s a shame, we’ve run out of pictures,” before handing over to the weather presenter with one final quip.
WATCH: News anchor’s hilarious despair at dog surfing ‘story’
WATCH: News anchor’s hilarious despair at dog surfing ‘story’
Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage
- Anniversary special coverage and film won four Awards of Excellence across multiple categories
LONDON: Arab News won seven prizes at the 27th European Newspaper Awards — four for its 50th anniversary coverage and three for other projects — bringing its total to 160 awards since the 2018 relaunch.
The anniversary coverage earned an Award of Excellence in “Supplement for special occasions and anniversary editions,” plus wins in “Multimedia storytelling” for its special web section and two in “Film” and “Animated films” for its documentary.
Additional honors went to the “Spotlight — 2024 in Review” and “Opinion — 2024” print series in the “Sectional front pages nationwide newspaper” category, and a “Visualization” prize for an image from “Opinion — 2024.”
Launched in 1999 by organizer Norbert Kupper, the awards celebrate print and digital innovation. This year’s contest drew newspapers from 22 countries and more than 3,000 entries across 20 categories, despite fewer print submissions due to rising editorial collaborations.
“It’s testament to the skill, versatility and collaboration between the creative and editorial teams at Arab News that the seven awards at this year’s ENAs spanned print, digital and film categories,” commented Omar Nashashibi, head of creative design at Arab News. “These wouldn’t be possible without the world-class contributors we partner with, and the leadership, vision and support of Editor-In-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.”
Creative Director Simon Khalil called the film wins especially meaningful. “This recognition means a great deal because this film was never just about marking an anniversary, it was about capturing a defining moment in the evolution of Arab News and the region it represents.
“Telling the story, and drama of the 2018 relaunch, the digital transformation, and the courage to become ‘The Voice of a Changing Region’ was both a responsibility and a privilege.”
Past highlights include the “King Charles III Coronation” special coverage, “Kingdom vs. Captagon” investigation and FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 special edition.
See more award-winning projects at arabnews.com/greatesthits.
