Reflecting on Yorkshire’s National Newspaper, judges said: “The Yorkshire Post was relaunched in 2022, with the team starting from a blank canvas.
“The Post was the leader of the pack and a clear winner in a tough category, and highlights the fantastic work of regional dailies in the most difficult of markets.”
They added: “The Post is a strong regional publication, with beautiful production values. Judges loved the broadsheet and although it was another transitional year, several felt it remained a ‘very grand product.’”
The accolade comes after a complete overhaul of the newspaper, with editor James Mitchinson explaining more about the rationale for that in his submission to judges. In his submission, he said: “In 2022 we reimagined The Yorkshire Post completely, starting from scratch. For the first time in around 15 years, the print product and all supplements were redesigned and relaunched all at once.
“With one eye on protecting its status as market share leader on a Saturday - ahead of the qualities’ national competition - the book was refreshed entirely.
“At the same time, we retrained all journalists working on the title as we switched from a database CMS to a cloud-based one, driving production efficiencies in order to realise online audience growth gains - all at once, we removed hours of laborious tasks for the teams whilst improving publishing returns on all platforms. The refresh was done using reader feedback from e-canvassing and social media engagement, leading to a reader-led product.”
Reflecting on the award, collected on the night by design editor Mike Gaunt - who led on the redesign project - on social media, James said: “Honestly, I can’t tell you what this means. We redesigned it. Front to back. We aligned it to digital audience analytics. We installed a brand new CMS and drove hard for subscribers over clicks. The entire team took our flip chart whims and turned them into this [award].
“I have always been a big believer in teams. I obsess about team. Connecting people to a cause and empowering them to use their skills, talent and creativity to collectively aim for one goal. Step back - they don’t need meddling editors, they appreciate space to do their thing.
“And the more I’ve learned about teams, the more I’ve learned to appreciate the dynamics of difference. Complementary personalities who run different channels. Fly different kites. Colour beyond the lines and don’t care what you think about that.”
James added: “Picking up awards that reflect the efforts of everyone; editorial, commercial, L&D, HR, IT, finance, admin support - the whole team - is an amazing feeling because without everyone in the machine doing their bit, moments like this are not possible. I could not feel more proud of the team than I do today - but we’re not done yet!”
It is the second time in four years that the Post has picked up coveted awards; the Society of Editors crowned it Daily Newspaper of the Year in 2019 at its Regional Press Awards.
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