Metro and Inverness Courier win this year’s Making a Difference Award

As part of the Journalism Matters campaign by the News Media Association, Making a Difference aims to emphasise the crucial role played by journalism in our society. The public is encouraged to view the local and national shortlists of campaigns and vote for their favourite entries.

NMA Chief Executive Owen Meredith said: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Metro and The Inverness Courier for winning the prestigious 2023 Making a Difference award in the national and local categories. The entries this year have showcased the outstanding work carried out by UK journalists, day in, day out, that keeps us engaged and well-informed.

“These winning campaigns emphasise the vital significance of trusted independent journalism, along with highlighting the news media’s ability to deliver powerful investigations, campaigns, and scoops that are important to the public. Both Dual the A9 and Formula For Change are exemplary instances of the essential role that journalism plays in our society, shining a light on such important causes. The journalists behind these campaigns should be extremely proud of their achievements.”

Metro’s campaign Formula For Change was launched to reform infant formula legislation to help families in need keep their children fed and healthy. The campaign, in partnership with the charity Feed, called on the government to change the law, enabling retailers to accept loyalty points, all food bank vouchers and store gift cards in payment for infant formula.

When the Inverness Courier received confirmation that the SNP government would not fulfil its promise to dual the A9 by 2025, the team launched a campaign, starting with a viral front page which garnered over a million views. The team launched a leadership debate with all three SNP candidates, a dedicated section on their website and hosted the A9 Crisis Summit.

At the NMA’s Journalism Matters parliamentary reception, DCMS Secretary of State Lucy Frazer and Sun editor Victoria Newton spoke of the power of journalism and the need to introduce safeguarding measures such as fair remuneration from the tech giants for use of news content, repealing Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act and the power of reporting in combating AI-generated misinformation.

Hundreds of national and local newspapers have also celebrated the annual campaign, coordinated by the NMA, by celebrating the vital contribution trusted journalism makes to our democratic society.