Journalist, broadcaster and charity campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has been presented with an outstanding contribution to journalism award at the Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards 2023.
Held at the Banking Hall in London on Wednesday 8 November 2023, the awards brought together more than 250 journalists from all sectors of the UK news media industry for a celebration of public interest and campaigning journalism. The event saw Rantzen presented with the award in recognition of what was described as a career dedicated to “supporting, uplifting and giving a voice to others.”
Accepting the award, Rantzen paid tribute to those in attendance describing the work of journalists as a “unique and crucial role” that was more important than ever.
She added: “I think we, as journalists, have to be careful because we have to be absolutely sure that we are providing an accurate description of circumstances we are writing about, talking about and broadcasting about. But with that caveat I would say we are providing a very, very important means of informing humanity - whether it’s about global warming, about pandemics or the heartbreaking struggles that we see going on in wars around the planet. Ours is a unique and crucial role.”
The SoE says the awards, now in their second year, were presented by ITV News Presenter and Journalist Lucrezia Millarini with headline sponsorship from London-based art-seller Grove Gallery. The event was also attended by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer MP and Minister for Media John Whittingdale MP.
Other big winners on the night included the Telegraph which was crowned the National News Media Organisation of the Year as well as the National Investigation of the Year for its agenda-setting Lockdown Files investigation. Open-source platform Bellingcat was named the International News Media Organisation of the Year while Belfast-based Sunday Life was named the Regional News Media Organisation of the Year.
Announcing the winners Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors said: “The winners of the Media Freedom Awards 2023 highlight the outstanding scoops and investigations which have dominated the news agenda and effected real change over the past year. From agenda-setting exclusives to campaigns that will undoubtedly save lives, we are honoured to recognise and celebrate the vital work that the news media industry undertakes every day to hold power to account on behalf of the public.”
Other big winners of the evening included the Manchester Evening News which was presented with the Regional Campaign of the Year for its Awaab’s Law campaign which followed the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died after being exposed to rancid mould at his family’s social housing flat in Rochdale in 2020. Reporter Stephen Topping was also awarded the Regional Journalist of the Year for his perseverance in bringing the case to light as well as uncovering wider housing issues within the borough.
Nationally, Sky News saw Foreign Correspondent Stuart Ramsay recognised for his dispatches from Myanmar with the broadcaster also awarded the Innovation Award with Tortoise Media for its ambitious Westminster Accounts data project that allows users to see how money is used to lubricate the machinery of British politics. TalkTV presenter Piers Morgan was also named the Broadcast Journalist of the Year for his willingness to confront controversial topics head on as well as challenging some of the most dominant social media influencers.
The Society of Editors says supporters for the event included Camelot, the Google News Initiative, Cision, Vodafone and Newsworks.
Media Freedom Awards 2023 winners
BOB SATCHWELL AWARD
Winner: Gary Younge
JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD
Winner: Dame Esther Rantzen
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR NATIONAL
Winner: Ashni Lakhani, BBC
Highly commended: Sabrina Miller, Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR REGIONAL
Winner: Dolly Carter, East Anglian Times and Ipswich Star
Highly commended: Lucy John, WalesOnline
INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST NATIONAL
Winner: Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk, BBC Panorama
Highly commended: Stephen Lawrence, The Sixth Suspect, BBC News
INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST REGIONAL
Winner: Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal, BBC Scotland
Highly commended: SEND investigation, ITV News Anglia
INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR NATIONAL – presented by Newsworks
Winner: Lockdown Files, The Telegraph
Highly commended: Confederation of British Industry, The Guardian
INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR REGIONAL
Winner: Taser Use, News & Star
Highly commended: Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Manchester Evening News
COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Winner: Marina Hyde, The Guardian
Highly commended: Camilla Long, The Sunday Times and Sonia Sodha, The Observer
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL
Winner: Anna Isaac, The Guardian
Highly commended: Paul Morgan-Bentley, The Times and Gordon Rayner, The Daily Telegraph
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL
Winner: Stephen Topping, Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: Charles Thomson, Islington Gazette, Newham Recorder and Romford Recorder
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST – PRESENTED BY GROVE GALLERY
Winner: Piers Morgan, TalkTV
Highly commended: Stuart Ramsay, Sky News
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Stuart Ramsay, Sky News
Highly commended: Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times
INNOVATION AWARD
Winner: Westminster Accounts, Sky News with Tortoise Media
Highly commended: Lockdown Files, The Telegraph
POLITICAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – presented by Cision
Winner: Pippa Crerar, The Guardian
Highly commended: Gabriel Pogrund, The Sunday Times and John Stevens, The Mirror
FREELANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Joshua Baker, BBC
Highly commended: Tom Odula, BBC Africa Eye
PODCAST OF THE YEAR – presented by Google News Initiative
Winner: Partygate: The Inside Story, ITV News
Highly commended: The Shamima Begum Story, BBC News Long Form Audio
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL – presented by Newsworks
Winner: School Hunger, Evening Standard and The Independent
Highly commended: Clean it Up, The Times
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL – presented by Camelot
Winner: Awaab’s Law, Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: Knife Crime Taskforce, The Northern Echo
PHOTO JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – presented by Grove Gallery
Winner: Simon Townsley, Telegraph Media Group
Highly commended: Alessio Mamo, The Guardian
NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR – presented by Grove Gallery
Winner: The Telegraph
Highly commended: Times Media
REGIONAL NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR
Winner: Sunday Life
Highly commended: Liverpool Echo
INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR
Winner: Bellingcat
Highly commended: Investigate Europe
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