Seanin Graham named CIPR NI Journalist of the year; Belfast Telegraph wins Newspaper of the year

CIPR Media Awards 2012 logoThe CIPR Media Awards – or the Coca-Cola Chartered Institute of Public Relations Media Awards 2012 in association with SPAR to give them their full title – were held earlier tonight in Titanic Belfast the Europa Hotel.

The awards are mostly print-orientated, with a nod to television, some new media mentions in the shortlists (and one winner) but no mention of radio.

Two years ago, the Belfast Telegraph’s Claire McNeilly won two awards on the eve of her wedding. This year she picked up another award as Business Journalist of the year.

The Sunday Life’s Ciaran Barnes scooped two prizes for Print News Journalist and Scoop of the year. (The scoop was Killer rapist and his prison love.)

After a year of consistently breaking health stories that dominated the front page of the Irish News as well as filtering through to other media outlets and the floor of the NI Assembly, Seanin Graham deservedly picked up the award for Specialist Journalists as well as the overall Journalist of the year prize.

UTV’s Ken Reid was named CIPR’s Political Journalist of the year, while BBC NI’s Spotlight won the News/Current Affairs category.

Niall McCracken from the online investigative website The Detail was named Newcomer of the year.

The Belfast Telegraph was named Newspaper of the Year, as well as picking up awards for Daily Newspaper and Media Website of the year.

Thanks to Sinead Doyle’s tweets we know that the other winners were:

  • Photographer of the Year – Colm Lenaghan (Pacemaker)
  • Newspaper Production Journalist of the Year – Heather Byrne (Belfast Telegraph)
  • News/Current Affairs Journalist of the Year – Sharon O’Neill (UTV)
  • Magazine of the Year – Local Women
  • Supplement of the Year – Titanic Supplements (Belfast Telegraph)
  • Environmental Journalist of the Year – John Manley (Irish News)
  • Feature Journalist of the Year – Jane Hardy (Belfast Telegraph)
  • Sports Journalist of the Year – Paddy Heaney (Irish News)
  • Columnist of the Year – Roisin Gorman (Sunday World)
  • Weekly Newspaper Journalist of the Year – Ciara Colhoun (Down Recorder)
  • Weekly Newspaper of the Year – Impartial Reporter
  • Sunday Newspaper of the Year – Sunday World
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Roy Lilley (Belfast Telegraph)

Someone in the comments below is bound to ask: who judges these awards? Turns out that CIPR NI appointed a panel that looks quite independent of NI media circles. The members of the judging panel aren’t local, though heavily skewed to print media.

  • Bob Satchwell – Executive Director, Society of Editors
  • Chris Boffey – Former News Editor, Observer
  • Peter Sands – Former Editor, Northern Echo
  • David Seymour – Former Political Editor, Mirror Group
  • Clive Jones – Former Chair GMTV
  • Jonathan Grun – Editor, The Press Association
  • Brien Beharrell – Editorial Director, Newbury Weekly News Group
  • Derek Harbinson – Editorial Consultant & Former Editor, Maxim magazine
  • John Mullin – Editor, The Independent on Sunday
  • Brendan Keenan – Group Business Editor, Independent Newspapers
  • John Willman – Editorial Consultant & Former UK Business Editor, Financial Times
  • Paul Horrocks – Former Editor, Manchester Evening News
  • Philippa Kennedy – Senior Features Editor, The National, Abu Dhabi

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