Hillsborough families praise ‘honesty’ of
North West media at O2 awards
FAMILIES who lost loved ones in the Hillsborough disaster paid tribute to the regional media’s reporting of the tragedy and their 27-year fight for justice.
Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, praised print and broadcast journalists for their honesty and commitment to truth.
She told more than 200 journalists at this year’s O2 Media Awards for the North West that the families had drawn strength from the regional media’s backing of their campaign.
Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at Hillsborough, was joined by other victims’ families to present the Liverpool Echo with the O2 Daily Newspaper award.
“The media must learn lessons from this … and continue to tell the truth,” she added.
The Echo also won the award for Specialist Publication for its Hillsborough commemmorative edition ‘The 96’ which judges called “exemplary journalism”.
BBC Radio Merseyside’s coverage of the Hillsborough inquests was also described as “outstanding”. Royal Family and former Brookside actress Sue Johnston presented the station with the Broadcast Team of the Year award which was announced by Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh.
It was also an award winning night for Cumbrian Newspapers. The Cumberland News was named Best Weekly newspaper; Phil Coleman was named News Reporter of the Year for Print Journalists and Jon Colman took the sports reporter crown.
Radio broadcasters also featurered significantly. Michelle Livesey, chief reporter at Key 103 was named Radio Journalist of the Year and collected the Community Journalism award for her role in the station’s ‘Justice for Joseph’ campaign. The family involved in the campaign, Dawn and Ian Brown-Lartey, parents of Joseph Brown-Lartey who was killed by a speeding driver, presented the award, thanking Livesey and the station for their relentless support.
Radio City’s Mick Coyle pipped Granada Reports duo Lucy Meacock and Mike Hall to the Broadcast Presenter of the Year award. Clare Fallon, of BBC North West Tonight won TV Journalist of the Year, while Rob Smith of Granada Reports took the best broadcast news reporter title.
Lancashire Telegraph reporter Bill Jacobs was awarded the O2 Stand Out Award while posthumous awards were made to former Chester Chronicle editor in chief Eric Langton and BBC Radio Lancashire’s Steve Becker, who both died earlier in the year.
More than 30 working editors and executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and on-line publications were involved in the judging process.
Award announcers included ITN news reader Mark Austin, senior programme editor at ITN Richard Frediani, Scott and Bailey TV producer Tom Sherry and Team GB Olympic dive heroes Chris Mears and Jack Laugher.
BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin again hosted the evening’s celebrations at Chester.
Nicola Green, Director of Communications and Reputation at O2 UK, said the year had seen some dramatic news events which had produced superb examples of regional journalism.
“Selecting overall winners from the shortlisted nominees was particularly difficult as the standards were so high. We’ve seen some superb journalism through the year which demonstrates the valuable role the regional media plays within its local communities.”
Here are the photos from the night: http://www.flickr.com/photos/o2ukofficial/albums/72157674900834372
O2 Media Awards North West 2016 winners
Broadcast Presenter of the Year
Mick Coyle – Radio City
Highly Commended
Mike Hall – ITV News Granada Reports
Lucy Meacock – ITV News Granada Reports
Community Journalism Award
Michelle Livesey – Key 103
Highly Commended
Sarah Collins – 2BR
Westmorland Gazette
Daily Newspaper of the Year
Liverpool Echo
Highly Commended
Daily Post
News & Star
Lancashire Evening Post
Team of the Year (Broadcast)
BBC Radio Merseyside
Highly Commended
BBC Radio Cumbria
2 BR
Team of the Year (Print)
Lancashire Evening Post
Highly Commended
Liverpool Echo
Crewe Chronicle
Feature Writer of the Year
Richard Ault – The Sentinel Stoke
Highly Commended
Aasma Day – Lancashire Evening Post
Roger Lytollis – The Cumberland News
Free Distribution Newspaper
Midweek Visiter
Highly Commended
Tarporley News
Southport Champion
On-Line Media Award
ITV News Granada Reports
Highly Commended
Liverpool Echo (What’s On)
Warrington Guardian
Liverpool Echo (Hillsborough)
News Reporter of the Year (Print)
Phil Coleman – Cumberland News
Highly Commended
Catherine Musgrove – Lancashire Evening Post
Aasma Day – Lancashire Evening Post
Todd Fitzgerald – Manchester Evening News
News Reporter of the Year (Broadcast)
Rob Smith – ITV News Granada Reports
Highly Commended
Ben Schofield – BBC North West Tonight / BBC Radio Merseyside
Matt O’Donoghue – ITV News Granada Reports
Images of the Year
Peter Byrne – Press Association
Highly Commended
Darren Robinson – Oldham Chronicle
Ian Cooper – Liverpool Echo
Colin Lane – Trinity Mirror
Radio Journalist of the Year
Michelle Livesey – Key 103
Highly Commended
Adam Phillips – Radio City
Richard Stead – BBC Radio Manchester
Emma Thomas – BBC Radio Stoke
Scoop of the Year
Tom Davidson – Daily Post
Highly Commended
Ben Schofield – BBC North West Tonight / BBC Radio Merseyside
Ken Bennett – Oldham Chronicle
Dale Haslam – Bolton News
Specialist Publication of the Year
Liverpool Echo – Hillsborough
Highly Commended
The Sentinel Stoke – The Way We Were
All Together Now
Tameside Reporter – School Newspapers
Best Website (Joint winners)
Liverpool Echo
Lancashire Telegraph
Highly Commended
North West Evening Mail
Southport Visiter
Specialist Reporter
Aasma Day – Lancashire Evening Post
Highly Commended
Joe Thomas – Liverpool Echo
Andy Gill – BBC North West Tonight
Stefanie Hall – Lancashire Evening Post
Sports Journalist
Jon Colman – News & Star
Highly Commended
Mike Hall – ITV News Granada Reports
Chris Hall – ITV News Granada Reports
Dave Powell – Chester Chronicle
Television Journalist
Clare Fallon – BBC North West Tonight
Highly Commended
Arif Ansari – BBC North West Tonight
Dan Hewitt – ITV News Granada Reports
Matt O’Donoghue – ITV News Granada Reports
Weekly Newspaper Reporter
Oliver Clay – Runcorn Weekly News
Highly Commended
Lee Wild – Tameside Reporter
Dale Haslam – The Bolton News
Rachel Howarth – Knutsford & Northwich Guardians
Weekly Newspaper of the Year
Cumberland News
Highly Commended
Workington Times & Star
Tameside Reporter
Cumberland & Westmorland Herald
Crewe Chronicle
Magazine of the Year
CN Magazines – Cumbria Life
Highly Commended
Westmorland Gazette – Limited Edition
Oldham Chronicle – Oldham Business Edge
CN Magazines – Carlisle Living
Young Journalist
Sam Yarwood – Manchester Evening News
Highly Commended
Todd Fitzgerald – Manchester Evening News
Sarah Hodgson – Daily Post
Josh Parry – Liverpool Echo
Jonathan Robinson – North West Evening Mail
O2 Stand Out Award
Bill Jacobs – Lancashire Telegraph
Highly Commended
Tom Murphy – Westmorland Gazette
Dianne Gibbons – The Sentinel Stoke
Jim Sharpe – Southport Champion
O2 Lifetime Achievement Awards
Eric Langton – Trinity Mirror
Steve Becker – BBC Radio Lancashire
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| Mark Rossiter
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