ABC News led the 47th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards with eight wins, highlighted by another top prize for Outstanding Live News Program for ABC World News Tonight With David Muir, marking the program’s fourth straight victory in that category. National Geographic’s Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller emerged as the night’s most awarded series overall, collecting seven Emmys across multiple categories and helping Disney affiliates dominate the ceremony. CNN also had a strong showing with four wins, including Outstanding Recorded News Program for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.
Trafficked led all series in total wins, with recognition for episodes including Brides for Sale, Black Market Love, Scam City, Shark Hunters, Underground Street Racing and The Tranq Dope Underground. The show’s success was bittersweet, as it has now ended its run, but the sweep underscored its influence in investigative and feature storytelling. Al Jazeera International’s Fault Lines also had a notable night with three wins, while entries from PBS, The New York Times, Bloomberg, NBC News, CBS News and others reflected a highly competitive field across journalism formats.
Among ABC’s biggest moments, ABC News Live earned three wins, the most ever for the streaming news channel. The network also claimed prizes for live breaking coverage, technical excellence, and several feature and investigative categories. CBS News picked up attention with Scott Pelley accepting the award for Outstanding Hard News Report: Short Form for The War in Gaza, while ABC executive Debra O’Connell presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Martha Raddatz, ABC’s chief global affairs correspondent.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday, May 27, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York, as part of a three-night Emmy event. Comedian Amber Ruffin hosted the News Emmys, while Michael Ian Black hosted the documentary categories the following night. Roy Wood Jr., Ruffin’s colleague on Have I Got News For You, hosted the Sports Emmys earlier in the week.
This year’s nominees came from more than 2,000 submissions, with eligible programs originally premiered in 2025 and chosen by more than 900 peer professionals. The night also featured a scholarship presentation to student journalist Santiago Campos, who used his acceptance speech to comment on changes at CBS News. NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said journalists remain essential defenders of the public’s right to know.
Other major winners included NBC News for Filmed in Gaza, PBS for Strike On Iran: The Nuclear Question and Along the Green Line, Bloomberg for The Zombie Debts Making Wall Street Rich, and several Spanish-language honors for TelevisaUnivision, Noticias Telemundo and ProPublica collaborations. Regional journalism awards also recognized local outlets for investigative and breaking news reporting, showing the breadth of the competition beyond national networks.
