Behind Local News Weekly: Revealing local journalism’s brightest stars
Plus: New jobs in journalism, the SoE conference is coming up, and how to apply for the 30 under 30 in journalism….
Hello,
The Regional Press Awards showed, once again, that journalists with tenacity, determination and creativity are the beating heart of newsrooms across the UK.
Today on Behind Local News, we look at the winners of the individual categories from Wednesday’s event, presented by ITV news journalist Sameena Ali-Khan.
Prepare to be blown away!
Journalists celebrated this year include James Holt, of the Manchester Evening News, who work the young journalist of the year prize.
Judges said they were blown away by his body of work: from breaking the national exclusive video of two men being kicked by police at Manchester airport, to discovering wifi servers being hacked across UK train stations and a gun being found in the bathroom of a glamorous, celebrity-attended restaurant launch.
James also carried out exclusive interviews and developed new lines on the disappearance of Jay Slater on the ground in Tenerife, which judges said showed ”a reporter capable of handling national and international-level stories under pressure”.
Reporter of the year (daily) went to Allison Morris of the Belfast Telegraph.
Judges were impressed with Allison’s “powerful” portfolio of work, “that could only have been assembled by a journalist with great contacts, tact and tenacity”.
Allison’s entry was a true example of “powerful, hard-hitting compelling story telling”, judges said. “Her portfolio demonstrated an ability to establish trust, bravery and journalism of the highest quality.”
Allison’s special investigation into the individuals behind the execution of gangland figures, and the cross-border and familial links involved, led to an increase in paid subscriptions to the Belfast Telegraph.
Weekly reporter of the week went to Frankie Lister-Bell of the Camden New Journal.
Frankie’s portfolio of work “demonstrates the rewards to be had when a journalist integrates with the local community”, judges said. “She looks at issues which might otherwise get overlooked — giving a voice to those without one.”
At the heart of Frankie’s entry was work on homelessness. Frankie revealed that rough sleepers’ belongings and tents were being thrown into council bin lorries to clear the streets, a revelation which gained national attention and forced an investigation into how such a policy could have been agreed.
Frankie also organised a public meeting for people to share their concerns with authorities and Camden Council agreed to no longer take part in the clearances. Judges said this work is a “great example of holding those in power to account”.
Specialist journalist of the year went to Liam Thorp of the Liverpool Echo, who, like Frankie, has focused on homelessness.
For much of 2024, Liam dedicated his time to exploring and documenting Liverpool’s homelessness emergency. Months of reporting, speaking to those facing homelessness as well as those trying to help and investigating where the crisis originated, resulted in several front page splashes and spreads. Judges praised the “thorough and impactful long reads” and “colourful human detail”.
Judges concluded that Liam demonstrated “journalism that really resonates with its audience and makes a difference in its communities”.
Charles Thomson of Newsquest South East won crime and investigative reporter of the year for his ‘dogged reporting in the pursuity of justice’ which judges said was ‘local journalism at its finest.’
Charles’ series on abuse in Islington Council children’s homes helped complainants secure £10,000 each in compensation from the council’s support payment scheme. He also secured an exclusive interview with one of the former looked-after children, Olympian Kriss Akabusi, and the only interview with a woman suing the council for alleged abuse.
Neil Mackay of the Herald in Scotland lifted the trophy for feature writer of the year. His entry was “head and shoulders above”, according to Regional Press Awards judges.
Neil’s investigation into abuse at the prestigious Scottish private boarding school Loretto — which culminated in one former pupil stepping forward, dropping their anonymity, agreeing to pictures and telling their story on the record — was described as a “show-stopping exclusive, which was expertly and sensitively handled”.
“Mackay obviously works off-diary to get great lines from people,” said judges, and his work “gives us hope for the future of our profession”.
Also in Scotland, former Herald journalist Catriona Stewart won opinion writer of the year.
Judges loved reading her “strong package of writing on tough subjects that is nuanced, respectful of the differing views of her readers, and touching because of her willingness to give of herself”.
“There were several lines in the article about alcoholism that made me pause for a few seconds and I suspect she’s expressed truths that have taken the words out of readers’ heads and mouths,” said one judge.
Mille Bowles won the Cathryn Nicholl prize, awarded in memory of the former Croydon Advertiser news editor for young journalists who display strong interviewing skills.
Millie, of KentOnline, secured an interview with former Russian oligarch Ilya Yurov and his wife Nataliya, who Bowles noticed were selling their mansion in Kent.
Judges also congratulated Bowles for securing an interview with actor and star of the Netflix show Top Boy, Ashley Walters, which Bowles said she managed to “snatch” with a “humble knock at the door”.
Photographer of the year went to Kevin Scott of the Belfast Telegraph, whose shots of Jeffrey Donaldson arriving at court to face historic sex charges were described by judges as proof of his “dedication to go beyond the expected to get the right shot.”
“To get such a clear photo on a day like this is remarkable and Kevin showed great initiative,” said judges.
Sports journalist of the year went to Nathan Judah, of the Wolverhampton Express and Star, praised for leading the push for video content and directly driving subscriptions from sports fans since the introduction of a paywall in 2024.
Nathan co-hosts the weekly ‘Wolves poddy’ podcast, which regularly surpasses 15,000 listens a week. When accompanying Wolves on their pre-season tour, his daily tour diaries, videos, feature interviews, matchday coverage and podcasts helped more than double overall subscriptions for the paper.
Judges said Nathan was a “stand-out” winner for a “fantastic breadth of reporting… his work…should be held aloft as one of the finest examples in regional news.”
Designer of the year went to Raymond Esteban of Mediahuis, with judges making it clear that agood design should not just be visually pleasing, but should clearly aid readers in engaging with content.
It is his “impactful and attention-grabbing cover artwork” that Raymond had been recognised for in particular, with his “creative choice of imagery” praised for its impact by the judges.
“His designs are distinctive and well-crafted and, in a world where many layouts come from templates, his work is individual and has a great sense of personality,” they added.
We’ll profile more from the Regional Press Awards in next week’s newsletter…
What we’ve been reading:
- The Society of Editors’ conference takes place on March 25 in London, and includes a range of panels and discussions focusing on journalism’s current hot topics. Regional speakers include Natalie Fahy, who runs Reach’s East Midlands and London regions, Richard Duggan, editor of titles including the Lancashire Telegraph and the Bolton News, Newsquest editorial director Toby Granville, and Dr Rebecca Whittington, online safety editor at Reach. For details on attending, click here.
- MHP Group has launched its 30 to Watch Journalists list for 2025, profiling 30 journalists under the age of 30 who are chosen in recognition of their outstanding investigation, storytelling and impact. The deadline is on Friday April 4, and more details can be found here.
- Press Gazette reported the latest online audience figures for regional news publishers last week — you can find that here.
- Callum Baird, editor-in-chief of Newsquest’s Scotland titles, shared insight into how his operation has grown to 10,000 online paying subscribers to new sports brands, and how overall, titles in Scotland have 40,000 of Newsquest’s 100,000+ online subscribers. Read the interview with Press Gazette here.
Jobs in Local News:
- AI-assisted reporter — Newsquest Bolton
- AI-assisted reporter — Newsquest Wales
- Audio Social Journalist, York
- Content/News Editor — KentLive
- Content Editor — Reach East Midlands (Nottingham or remote)
- Crime and Court Reporter — Newsquest Reading
- Crime and Court Reporter — Newsquest Worcester
- Digital Audience and Content Editor — Newsquest Essex
- Deputy Editor, South West Business Insider
- Digital News Editor — Southern Daily Echo
- Digital Journalist — Newsquest Glasgow
- Editor — Newsquest Carlisle
- Journalist, BBC Radio Taunton
- Live News Reporter — South Wales Argus
- Local Democracy Reporter — Swindon
- Local Democracy Reporter — Fife
- Multimedia Journalist — The National
- Trainee Reporter — Newsquest Bournemouth
- Trainee Reporter — Bucks Free Press
- Trainee Regional sub-editor, Reach
Also in local news this week (yes, more from the awards!):
How the Belfast Telegraph made it three in a row with website of the year RPA win
The Belfast Telegraph has been named best regional news website in the UK for the third year running.
The scoops which led London reporter to be named UK’s top local news crime reporter
A reporter behind a string of major scoops in recent years has been named crime and investigative reporter of the year at the Regional Press Awards.
“Reader feedback is our guiding force” says editor of team named best weekly newspaper in UK
The Camden New Journal has been named the best small local news brand in the country at the Regional Press Awards.
Exclusive which led to the downfall of Wales’ First Minister honoured at Regional Press Awards
A story which ultimately led to the departure of a country’s most prominent politician has been awarded scoop of the year at the Regional Press Awards.
The Oligarch’s story which readers loved — and led to Regional Press Awards honour
A journalist who secured an exclusive interview with a Russian oligarch and his wife has scooped a unique award at the Regional Press Awards.
Western Mail praised for combining creativity and simplicity to win front page of the year
A powerful front page marking the end of steel production in a South Wales community has been crowned best of the year at the Regional Press Awards.
