Jump to content

Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Documentary Script – Current Events

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Documentary Script – Current Events
Awarded forOutstanding Writing in Documentaries – Current Events
CountryUnited States
Presented byWriters Guild of America
First awarded1988
Currently held byRick Young for "The Healthcare Divide" (Frontline) - 2021
Websitewww.wga.org

The Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Documentary Script – Current Events is an award presented by the Writers Guild of America to the best writing in a documentary about current events. It was first awarded at the 41st Writers Guild of America Awards, being the episode "Apartheid Part 5: 1987" from the American program Frontline the inaugural winner of the category.

Winners and nominees

[edit]

1980s

[edit]
Year Program Episode Writer(s) Network Ref.
1988
(41st)
Frontline "Apartheid Part 5: 1987" Irv Drasnin PBS
1989
(42nd)
Secret Intelligence Joseph Angier and Blaine Baggett PBS

1990s

[edit]
Year Program Episode Writer(s) Network Ref.
1990
(43rd)
Frontline "Seven Days in Bensonhurst" Thomas Lennon and Shelby Steele PBS
1991
(44th)
Power in the Pacific Joseph Angier and Carl Byker PBS
1992
(45th)
No award given
1993
(46th)
Frontline "The Choice '92" Richard Ben Gramer, Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein PBS
1994
(47th)
No award given
1995
(48th)
The Human Quest "The Nature of Human Nature" Roger Bingham and Carl Byker PBS
48 Hours "The Rage Over Welfare" Greg Kandra CBS
Frontline "Rush Lumbaugh's America" Stephen Talbot PBS
"Currents of Fear" Jon Palfreman
1996
(49th)
Frontline "The Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson" Marshall Frady and Mark Zwonitzer PBS [1]
Primetime Live "Judgement at Midnight" Mark Zwonitzer ABC
Nova "Bombing of America" Nancy Linde PBS
1997
(50th)
Dateline NBC "Why Can't We Live Together?" Craig Leake NBC [2]
Frontline "The Choice 1996" Helen Whitney and Jane Barnes PBS
1998
(51st)
Frontline "Once Upon a Time in Arkansas" Michael Kirk and Peter J. Boyer PBS [3]
Primetime Live "The McCaughey Seven: A Homecoming" Lori A. Bores ABC
Frontline "Busted: America's War on Marijuana" Elena Mannes PBS
1999
(52nd)
Frontline "Give War A Chance" Michael Kirk and Peter J. Boyer PBS [4]
Dateline NBC "The Greatest Generation" Tom Brokaw and Craig Leake NBC
Frontline "Surviving Aids" Martin Smith and Lowell Bergman PBS
Nova "Surviving Aids" Elizabeth Arledge
The Awful Truth "Funeral in a HMO" Annie Cohen, Francis Gasparini, Henriette Mantel, Jay Martel, Nick McKinney and Michael Moore Bravo

2000s

[edit]
Year Program Episode Writer(s) Network Ref.
2000
(53rd)
Frontline "John Paul II: The Millennial Pope" Helen Whitney and Jane Barnes PBS [5]
The Awful Truth "Holiday Inn Attempts to Deport Its Mexican Housekeepers for Organizing a Union" Michael Moore and Nick McKinney Bravo
Frontline "Justice for Sale" Stephen Talbot and Sheila Kaplan PBS
"The Killer at Thurston High" Michael J. Kirk and Peter J. Boyer
2001
(54th)
Frontline "Drug Wars: Part 2" Lowell Bergman, Kenneth Levism, Doug Hamilton and Oriana Zill PBS [6]
Frontline "Drug Wars, Part 1" Martin Smith, Brooke Runnette and Oriana Zill PBS
2002
(55th)
9/11 Tom Forman and Greg Kandra CBS [7]
Frontline "The Man Who Knew" Michael Kirk PBS
"Rollover: The Hidden Story of the SUV" Marc Shaffer and Barak Goodman
Nova "Bioterror" Matthew Collins
2003
(56th)
Frontline "Truth, War and Consequences" Martin Smith PBS [8]
Frontline "The War Behind Closed Doors" Michael Kirk PBS
2004
(57th)
Frontline "From China With Love" Michael Kirk PBS [9]
Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style "P.O.V." Paul Stekler PBS
2005
(58th)
Frontline "The Torture Question" Edward Grey PBS [10]
Someone's Watching Michael Kirk PBS
Frontline "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Hedrick Smith
"The Soldier's Heart" Raney Aronson
2006
(59th)
Frontline "The Dark Side" Michael Kirk PBS [11]
Frontline "The Meth Epidemic" Cark Byker PBS
"The Age of AIDS" William Cran and Renata Simone
"Can You Afford to Retire?" Hedrick Smith and Rick Young
2007
(60th)
Frontline "Return of the Taliban" Martin Smith PBS [12]
America at a Crossroads "Security vs. Liberty: The Other War" Edward Gray PBS
Frontline "The Enemy Within" Lowell Bergman and Oriana Zill De Granados
"News War Part 1: Secrets Sources and Spin" Raney Aronson-Rath, Lowell Bergman and Seth Bomse
"News War Part 3: What's Happening to the News?" Stephen Talbot and Lowell Bergman
"Spying on the Home Front" Hedrick Smith and Rick Young
2008
(61st)
Frontline "Bush's War: Part One" Michael Kirk PBS [13]
Nova "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" Joseph McMaster PBS
Depression: Out of the Shadows Larkin McPhee
Frontline "Rules of Engagement" Arun Rath
"The Medicated Child" Marcela Gaviria
2009
(62nd)
Frontline "The Madoff Affair" Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith PBS [14]
Frontline "Black Money" Lowell Bergman and Oriana Zill de Granados PBS
"Heat" Martin Smith
"The Hugo Chávez Show" Ofra Bikel
"Inside the Meltdown" Michael Kirk
"Poisoned Waters" Hedrick Smith and Rick Young

2010s

[edit]
Year Program Episode Writer(s) Network Ref.
2010
(63rd)
Frontline "Flying Cheap" Rick Young PBS [15]
Frontline "College, Inc." Martin Smith and John Maggio PBS
"The Card Game" Lowell Bergman and Oriana Zill de Granados
"The Quake" Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria
"The Vaccine War" Jon Palfreman
"The Warning" Michael Kirk
2011
(64th)
Frontline "Top Secret America" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS [16]
Nova “Smartest Machine on Earth” Julia Cort and Michael Bicks PBS
Frontline “The Spill” Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith
2012
(65th)
Frontline "Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One" Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith PBS [17]
Frontline "The Anthrax Files" Michael Kirk PBS
"Lost in Detention" Rick Young
"Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Three" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser
"Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Four" Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith
"A Perfect Terrorist" Thomas Jennings
2013
(66th)
Frontline "Egypt in Crisis" Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith PBS [18]
Frontline "Cliffhanger" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS
2014
(67th)
Frontline "United States of Secrets: The Program (Part One)" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS [19]
Frontline "United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost (Part Two)" Martin Smith PBS
"Losing Iraq" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser
2015
(68th)
Frontline "American Terrorist" Thomas Jennings PBS [20]
Frontline "Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS
2016
(69th)
Frontline "The Choice 2016" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS [21]
"Inside Assad's Syria" Martin Smith
Frontline "Chasing Heroin" Marcela Gaviria PBS
2017
(70th)
Frontline "Confronting ISIS" Martin Smith PBS [22]
Unseen Enemy Janet Tobias CNN
Frontline "Poverty, Politics and Profit" Rick Young PBS
2018
(71st)
Frontline "Trump's Takeover" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS [23]
Nova "Black Hole Apocalypse" Rushmore DeNooyer PBS
Frontline "Blackout in Puerto Rico" Rick Young
"The Gang Crackdown" Marcela Gaviria
2019
(72nd)
Frontline "Trump's Trade War" Marcela Gaviria PBS [24]
Frontline "Coal's Deadly Dust" Elaine McMillion Sheldon PBS
"The Mueller Investigation" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser

2020s

[edit]
Year Program Episode Writer(s) Network Ref.
2020
(73rd)
Agents of Chaos "Part II" Alex Gibney and Michael J. Palmer HBO [25]
Frontline "The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden" Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser PBS
"Whose Vote Counts" Jelani Cobb, June Cross and Tom Jennings
Agents of Chaos "Part I" Alex Gibney and Michael J. Palmer HBO
2021
(74th)
Frontline "The Healthcare Divide" Rick Young PBS [26]
Frontline "The Jihadist" Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria PBS

Programs with multiple awards

[edit]
26 awards

Programs with multiple nominations

[edit]
77 nominations
6 nominations
2 nominations

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Writers Guild of America 1997 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Writers Guild of America 1998 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Writers Guild of America 1999 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Writers Guild of America 2000 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (January 10, 2001). "NBC tops WGA TV noms". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (15 January 2002). "PBS tops WGA list". Hollywood. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. ^ Cadorette, Guylaine (6 February 2003). "WGA Nominations Announced". Hollywood. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  8. ^ Hiestand, Jesse (19 January 2004). "'Simpsons,' 'Law & Order' Top WGA Noms". Backstage. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (15 December 2004). "'Wing' still has the write stuff". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (14 December 2005). "Peacock laffers have the write stuff". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  11. ^ DiOrio, Carl (14 December 2006). "HBO, NBC dominate WGA noms". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  12. ^ DiOrio, Carl (13 December 2007). "HBO tops WGA Award noms with five". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ "2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, And Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America East. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  14. ^ "WGA announces TV noms". Variety. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (8 December 2010). "2011 WGA Award Nominations For TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  16. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (19 February 2012). "Writers Guild Awards: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  17. ^ Kim, Wook (18 February 2013). "2013 WGA Awards: The Complete List Of Winners". Time. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  18. ^ "WGA Awards 2014: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  19. ^ McNary, Dave (14 February 2015). "'Grand Budapest Hotel,' 'True Detective' Top WGA Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  20. ^ McNary, Dave (13 February 2016). "WGA Honors 'Big Short,' 'Spotlight,' 'Mad Men' at 68th Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  21. ^ Littleton, Cynthia; McNary, Dave (19 February 2017). "WGA Awards: 'Moonlight,' 'Arrival' Win For Best Screenplay, 'Atlanta' Wins Twice". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  22. ^ "WGA Awards: The Complete Winners List". Variety. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  23. ^ McNary, Dave (17 February 2019). "WGA Awards 2019 Winners: 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?,' 'Eighth Grade' Win Screenplay Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  24. ^ Lindhal, Chris (1 February 2020). "Writers Guild Awards 2020: 'Parasite' and 'JoJo Rabbit' Win Screenplay Awards". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  25. ^ Hipes, Patrick (February 3, 2021). "WGA Awards TV Nominations: 'Better Call Saul', 'Ted Lasso' & 'The Great' Lead Way". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 13, 2022). "WGA Awards TV Nominations: 'Yellowjackets', 'Hacks', 'Loki', 'Only Murders In The Building' Join Usual Suspects On List". Deadline. Retrieved January 14, 2022.