The Cumberland News has retained its crown as the North West’s best newspaper.
The paper walked away with six awards at the O2 North West Media Awards in Blackpool last night.
The Carlisle-based title was named O2 Newspaper of the Year and Best Weekly Newspaper. Reporter Sarah Newstead won the title of Feature Writer of the Year for the second year running and Jon Colman was named the region’s top sports reporter. Judges described the News as ‘one of the outstanding newspapers in Britain today’.
‘You cannot fail to be impressed by this title. Totally comprehensive ‘ a paper to be applauded and admired for its content and design. It has the gravitas to rival any weekly newspaper and also any large regional daily in the UK.’
Other big winners were the Liverpool Post and Echo who landed a total of 11 awards. Crime Reporter Ben Rossington took the News Reporter of the Year crown while Colin Lane was named Photographer of the Year.
Granada Reports landed six awards including reporter Matt O’Donohue who was named TV Journalist of the Year. Staffer Adam McLean was named as the best digital reporter.
The Lancashire Evening Post was named best daily newspaper.
There was success for Manchester Evening News business writer Adam Jupp while the Key 103 newsroom and Rock FM’s Janine Bolton were also celebrating after landing the Team of the Year and Radio Broadcaster of the Year crowns.
Bolton News reporter Miranda Newey topped the poll for young daily journalists while the Southport Champion pipped its bigger rivals for the Scoop of the Year award for its story on a grandmother slipping into icy Norwegian seas while being lifted off a cruise ship. The story was followed up extensively by the Sun and Daily Mail.
An Outstanding Contribution Award went to former North West Tonight anchor man Gordon Burns. The award was presented by Gee Walker, mother of Anthony Walker, the teenager murdered by race hate thugs in Liverpool six years ago. In his final North West Tonight show Burns commented how Mrs Walker had been one of the most inspirational people he’d interviewed in his career.
The awards event was held at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and attracted more than 200 guests including celebrities from Coronation Street, Heartbeat and Shameless.
Olympic hopeful Beth Tweddle and Wigan Warriors’ skipper Sean O’Loughlin also joined the VIP line up.
Deborah Parkinson, wife of former professional football star Gary Parkinson, who remains paralysed with Locked In Syndrome after suffering a massive stroke last year, also presented an award with Gary’s son Luke. They thanked the region’s journalists for increasing awareness of stroke victims.
And Michael Brown, father of Clare Wood, the young Salford mum murdered in Greater Manchester by her partner, added his praise for the journalists who had helped his campaign to change laws relating to domestic violence.
Judges’ spokeswoman Nicola Megson said she’d been delighted by the standard of the entries.
‘A lot of people claim the regional press is on the decline but from what I’ve seen in these awards the standard of journalism is superb and the media in the North West is alive and kicking,’ she said.
Around 300 nominations from newspapers, radio stations and television news crews were received across the 16 award categories.
O2 Director of Communications, Reputation and Sustainability Glenn Manoff said once again the awards demonstrated the impact the regional press had within their communities.
‘Regional journalists are breaking the stories we then read about days later in the national press. But as well as their news and sport exclusives these reporters are also performing a vital role covering grass roots issues that cement communities together. O2 is a business that focuses heavily on community cohesion and we are delighted to see these awards grow in popularity and success each year,’ he said.
The winners:
O2 Business Journalist of the Year
Adam Jupp – Manchester Evening News
Runners Up
Peter Elson – Liverpool Daily Post
Alistair Houghton – Liverpool Daily Post & Liverpool Echo
Shelina Begum – Manchester Evening News
O2 Digital Journalist of the Year
Adam McClean – Granada Reports
Runners Up
Dan Kay – Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
Jo Kelly – Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
Peter Bainbridge – Manchester Evening News
O2 Young Journalist of the Year – Daily
Miranda Newey – Bolton News
Runners Up
Will Metcalfe – Northwest Evening Mail
Katie Robinson – Northwest Evening Mail
David Pickthall – Northwest Evening Mail
O2 Young Journalist of the Year – Weekly
Tom Bristow – Southport Visiter
Runners Up
Ellie Cullen – Crewe Chronicle
Natalie Banks – Chorley & Leyland Guardian
Matthew Hobbs – Warrington Guardian
O2 Feature Writer of the Year
Sarah Newstead – Cumberland News
Runners Up
Roger Lytollis – Cumberland News
Alistair Houghton – Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
Paddy Shennan – Liverpool Echo
O2 News Reporter of the Year
Ben Rossington – Liverpool Echo
Runners Up
Neal Keeling – Manchester Evening News
Liza Williams – Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
Vanessa Cornall – Lancashire Telegraph
O2 Photographer of the Year
Colin Lane – Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
Runners Up
Paul Heyes – Manchester Evening News
Vincent Cole – Manchester Evening News (Rochdale Observer)
Sean Hansford – Manchester Evening News (Rochdale Observer)
O2 Radio Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Janine Bolton – Rock FM
Runners Up
Michelle Ponting – Key 103
Jimmy McCracken – BBC Radio Merseyside
O2 Scoop of the Year
Champion Newspapers
Runners Up
Liverpool Echo
Lancashire Evening Post
O2 Sports Journalist of the Year
Jon Colman – Cumberland News
Runners Up
Amanda Little – Cumberland News
Chris Hall – Granada News
Kelly O’Donnell – Tower and Wish FM
O2 TV Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Matt O’Donoghue – Granada Reports
Runners Up
Andy Gill – BBC North West Tonight
Jacey Normand – BBC Inside Out
O2 Editorial Team of the Year
Key 103
Runners Up
Granada Reports
Saddleworth Independent
The Leader
O2 Daily Newspaper of the Year
Lancashire Evening Post
Runners Up
Bolton News
Lancashire Telegraph
Liverpool Echo
O2 Weekly Newspaper of the Year
Cumberland News
Runners Up
Chester Chronicle
Crosby Herald
Rossendale Free Press
Warrington Guardian
O2 Newspaper of the Year
Cumberland News
Outstanding Contribution Award
Gordon Burns – BBC North West Tonight
Ends
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