Eurovision is proud to support the Rory Peck Trust, the only organization dedicated to the assistance, safety and welfare of freelance newsgatherers around the world. Our Eurovision News team will be raising funds for the Trust, who rely on donations.

The stories such freelancers research, shoot, edit and script are integral to the news gathering of many major broadcasters – including EBU Members and Associates like the BBC, ITV, ITN Channel Four, WDR, CBS and NBC.

"It is easy to forget in these days of user generated content, quickly uploaded files and mobile video that there are dedicated freelance photo journalists who take the time to research a story, establish contacts and then take a craftsperson’s pride in the video they shoot – often at considerable risk to themselves. To many the result is merely ‘content’ but for those interested in independent, in depth reporting, such freelance cover remains vital," says Eurovision News Editor Julian Tarrant.

The Rory Peck Trust was set up in 1995 in memory of freelance cameraman Rory Peck. He was killed in Moscow two years earlier while filming a gun battle outside the Ostankino television station during Russia's October coup and was caught in crossfire. He was one of a growing band of cameraman who worked independently, supplying footage to a range of organizations including the BBC and ARD, and was a founding partner of FrontlineTelevision News, a London-based co-operative of freelance cameramen established in 1989.

Increasingly news gathering is very much a freelance business with broadcasters, news sites and agencies reluctant to give such operators the safety of a staff contract. This is where the Rory Peck Trust steps in, providing practical assistance, training and support for a family left behind when the freelancer is killed in action or detained by one or other side in a conflict.

Rory Peck Trust Chair, BBC Head of International Bureaus and EBU News Committee Vice Chair Sarah Ward-Lilley explains further:

Rory Peck Awards

Each year the Rory Peck Trust holds an awards ceremony that is very well attended by leading news professionals, including our own Eurovision News team. November’s event at the British Film Institute in London shone a light as usual on many inspiring and tenacious entries. The list of winners can be seen on RoryPeckTrust.org. Here are some highlights from the evening: