InPublishing: Winners announced for the Press Awards for 2014

The Times dominated the main accolades of the evening, winning eight awards including the coveted Newspaper of the Year title, News Reporter of the Year Award and the Cudlipp Award in recognition of its investigation into the Rotherham child abuse scandal.

Chairman of the Judges, Executive Director of the Society of Editors, Bob Satchwell, said: “The awards demonstrate the importance and quality of the British Press.

“They are the answer to the critics who seek to silence our newspapers. This is the best of UK newspaper journalism, which is the best in the world.”

In awarding the Newspaper of the Year accolade, the judges said that “Its searing investigation has changed the way the UK treats the issue of child abuse. It is a brilliant newspaper that defied political correctness and a political cover-up and was brilliantly vindicated in the process.”

Andrew Norfolk, The Times journalist instrumental in breaking the Rotherham scandal was honoured as News Reporter of the Year and in the Cudlipp award.

The judges said: “While covering the story over a number of years, he spent many weeks and months sitting in trials where he was often the only reporter present. Still he persevered. He was instrumental in breaking a scandal and his work prompted the publication of an independent report that last year confirmed that at least 1,400 children in Rotherham had been abused over a period of 15 years.

“His painstaking investigations successfully received huge attention and resulted in huge ramifications.”

The Daily Mirror took home five awards with Andrew Gregory winning the Science and Health Journalist of the Year Award, Halina Watts winning Showbiz Reporter of the Year, Tom Parry Feature Writer of the Year for popular papers, Rowan Griffiths winning Photographer of the Year and the paper was awarded The Digital Award in recognition of its “innovation and vast use of social media platforms”.

The Daily Mail collected four awards in recognition of its first-class team of journalists, said the judges. Peter Campbell won the Young Journalist of the Year title, Matthew Lawton was named Sports Journalist of the Year, Rebecca Hardy, Interviewer of the Year for popular papers and Quentin Letts Columnist of the Year in the popular category.

The Mail on Sunday won the Scoop of the Year award for Ben Ellery’s investigation into the slave labour used to make the feminist t-shirts worn by prominent politicians.

The judges said that it was “a simple idea, brilliantly told and with great pictures. More of a dogged investigation than the story first suggests, the paper backed the reporter’s hunch and dispatched him 9,000 miles from home.

“It not only left Miliband, Clegg and others looking like hypocrites for rushing to join a worthy concept without checking where the bandwagon began its journey, it also turned a PR stunt inside out, embarrassed the politicians and pricked the nation's social conscience.

“Once again, the Press is shown to have done the Government’s homework for them.”

The Independent on Sunday was awarded the Front Page of the Year prize for its sensitive cover on the death of Alan Henning which the judges praised for delivering the news while depriving the terrorists of the propaganda they craved.

The Independent and i saw reporters Patrick Cockburn and Mark Steel honoured in the Foreign Reporter of the Year and Columnist of the Year for broadsheet paper categories while sister paper the London Evening Standard’s David Sexton took home the award for Critic of the Year.

The Daily Record won the overall award for Sports Team of the Year in recognition of a magnificent effort on a tight budget in a year in which both the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup were held in Scotland.

The Financial Times’ environmental correspondent Pilita Clark was named the Specialist Journalist of the Year and its business team was recognised for its overall business coverage. The News Team of the Year Award went to The Sunday Times as did the Interviewer of the Year in the broadsheet category to Bryan Appleyard.

The Times’ other awards of the evening went to Political Journalist Matthew Parris, The Times Magazine, cartoonist Peter Brookes and Sports Photographer Marc Aspland. Feature Writer Anthony Loyd was also honoured in the Feature Broadsheet category for what the judges said was “a compelling and memorable account of his own kidnap in Syria.”

The Daily Telegraph’s cartoonist Matt Pritchett was awarded the Journalists’ Charity Award for using his craft to benefit the charity and the new Georgina Henry Women in Journalism Prize for Innovation went to Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates for a proposal for an extension of Everyday Sexism called Shouting Back, which would put not only the tales of women who fought back and what happened, but would also be a one-stop supportive resource for anyone who has been the victim of harassment.

The evening also saw Emeritus Editor of the Press Association and twice past President of the Society of Editors, Jonathan Grun, awarded the Chairman’s Award in recognition of his service to the industry.

Awards chairman Bob Satchwell, Executive Director of the Society of Editors, said Grun's award recognised the difference he has made without fuss from behind the scenes to the life of the nation.

He added: “The recipient is uniquely respected and valued in all parts of the media that are served by the Press Association for his exceptional professional and personal qualities.

“No-one is more deserving of recognition for an enormous part played in both defending media freedom and insistence upon high journalistic standards.”

The awards, held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square hotel were supported by Camelot, Google, Unison, the Gorkana Group, Reuters, EY, HW Fisher, L’Oreal, Wiggin, JTI, Luther Pendragon, Challenge Trophies and the Press Association.

Photos, video and citations from the event can be found online at www.pressawards.org.uk

The full list of winners and highly commended:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Winner: Peter Campbell – Daily Mail

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR