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Media Freedom Awards 2024: winners announced

The Society of Editors says excellence in campaigning and investigative journalism was honoured at its Media Freedom Awards 2024 this week.

Media Freedom Awards 2024: winners announced
Dawn Alford: “Now in their third year, the Media Freedom Awards recognise and celebrate the dedication and accomplishments of journalists and newsrooms across all sectors of the UK media industry.”

Held at the Globe Theatre in London and attended by the Media Minister Stephanie Peacock MP, the Society of Editors (SoE) says the awards brought together more than 300 journalists and news leaders from all sectors for a celebration of the UK news industry.

Presented by ITV News’ Lucrezia Millarini and supported by Vodafone and national lottery-operator Allwyn, the SoE says big winners of the evening included PA Media which was crowned the National News Media Organisation of the Year with outgoing Editor-in- Chief Peter Clifton awarded the Bob Satchwell Award in recognition of his service to the industry and defence of open justice.

Announcing the winners Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors said: “Now in their third year, the Media Freedom Awards recognise and celebrate the dedication and accomplishments of journalists and newsrooms across all sectors of the UK media industry. From those who operate in dangerous and life-threatening war zones to those who stand up against bureaucracy and fight for the public’s right to know, we are honoured to recognise their outstanding achievements this evening.”

The SoE says other big winners of the evening included The Sun which was awarded the Investigation of the Year National prize for its investigation into BBC News presenter Huw Edwards with reporter Scarlet Howes named the Journalist of the Year National.

BBC News Scotland’s Sam Poling was also a big winner with her pursuit of justice following the death of Emma Caldwell securing her the Journalist of the Year Broadcast accolade as well as the Investigation of the Year in the Broadcast Regional category, the SoE continued.

Looking to the campaign categories, the SoE says The Sunday Times’ multi-media campaign Bloody Disgrace, which was instrumental in securing a £10 billion-plus compensation package for those whose lives were destroyed by the infected blood tragedy, was awarded the Campaign of the Year National while the Express & Star’s successful campaign to ban Zombie Knives took home the award in the regional category.

Other big regional winners included WalesOnline for its scrutiny of donations made to former first minister Vaughan Gething while Belfast Live’s Jilly Beattie was named the Journalist of the Year Regional for her investigation and coverage of the arrest of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson on historical sexual offence charges. The Belfast Telegraph was also named the Regional News Media Organisation of the Year.

Broadcast winners included BBC News for its investigation into migrant deaths while ITV News London’s Kaf Okpattah was awarded the Young Journalist of the Year Regional prize for his work highlighting failings across NHS London’s maternity services as well as security failings in Wandsworth Prison. The evening also saw Channel 4 News named the Broadcast News Organisation of the Year.

Other winners on the night included The Big Issue which was bestowed the Judges’ Special Award in recognition of its work helping millions of people affected by poverty in the UK for more than 30 years and its services to journalism.

The SoE says the evening also saw the veteran foreign correspondent Kim Sengupta posthumously awarded a Special Recognition Award following his death earlier this year.

The full list of Media Freedom Awards 2024 winners:

GEORGINA HENRY AWARD ORGANISED BY WOMEN IN JOURNALISM AND SPONSORED BY WIGGIN LLP

Winner: Sophia Smith Galer

BOB SATCHWELL AWARD

Pete Clifton, editor-in-chief, PA Media

JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD

The Big Issue

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Kim Sengupta, defence and diplomatic editor, The Independent

INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL

Winner: Huw Edwards charged with indecent images, The Sun

Highly Commended: Russell Brand, The Times and The Sunday Times, Dispatches and Hardcash Productions

INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL

Winner: Vaughan Gething donations, WalesOnline

Highly Commended: Loretto boarding school investigation, The Herald and Herald on Sunday

INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST – NATIONAL

Winner: Migrant deaths, BBC News

Highly Commended: Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua, BBC World Service/openDemocracy

INVESTIGATION OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST – REGIONAL

Winner: Catching a Killer, The Murder of Emma Caldwell, BBC Scotland News Highly Commended: Culture Crisis in West Midlands Police, Channel 4 News Leeds

COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR – BROADSHEET

Winner: Frances Ryan, The Guardian

Highly Commended: Matthew Syed, The Sunday Times

COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR – POPULAR

Winner: Darren Lewis, Daily Mirror

Highly Commended: Jon Sopel, The Independent

PODCAST OF THE YEAR

Winner: Ukraine: The Latest, The Telegraph

Highly Commended: Who Killed Emma? BBC News Scotland

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL

Winner: Bloody Disgrace, The Sunday Times

Highly Commended: Carer’s allowance scandal, The Guardian

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL

Winner: Ban Zombie Knives, Express & Star

Highly Commended: NI Sexual Offences Anonymity Campaign, Belfast Telegraph and The 21, Newsquest London

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – BROADCAST

Winner: Sam Poling, BBC Scotland News

Highly Commended: Secunder Kermani, Channel 4 News

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL

Winner: Scarlet Howes, The Sun

Highly Commended: Rosamund Urwin and Charlotte Wace, The Sunday Times

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL

Winner: Jilly Beattie, Belfast Live

Highly Commended: Will Hayward, WalesOnline

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR NATIONAL SUPPORTED BY THE JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY

Winner: Isaan Khan, Daily Mail

Highly Commended: Sophie Huskisson, The Mirror

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR REGIONAL

Winner: Kaf Okpattah, ITV News London

Highly Commended: Lucy John, WalesOnline

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT OF THE YEAR

Winner: Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times

Highly Commended: Quentin Sommerville, BBC News

POLITICAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Winner: Billy Kenber, The Times

Highly Commended: Pippa Crerar, The Guardian

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Winner: Simon Townsley, The Telegraph

Highly Commended: Jack Hill, The Times and Richard Pohle, The Times

INNOVATION AWARD

Winner: Cocaine Inc, The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia

Highly Commended: FT Visual Storytelling, Financial Times

NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR

Winner: PA Media

Highly Commended: Times Media

REGIONAL NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR

Winner: Belfast Telegraph

Highly Commended: Liverpool Echo

BROADCAST NEWS MEDIA ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR

Winner: Channel 4 News

Highly Commended: Sky News

Channel 4 News won Broadcast News Media Organisation of the Year. Photograph credit: Lucy Young Photography, supplied by the Society of Editors.

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