A long-running daily and a total newcomer made their own bits of history at the Tom Cordner North East Press Awards in Newcastle.
The Journal, 176 years-old, retained the title of Newspaper of the Year and became the first paper to win back-to-back since the award was created in 1990, while the Durham Times (launched April 2007) was named North East Weekly Newspaper in its debut year.
The Journal team carried off a basket of six other prizes: Hard News, Magazine (Culture), Page Design, Arts coverage, the Community Award and Best Picture of the Year. Editor Brian Aitken said it was a tremendous boost for the paper and he was proud of the entire staff.
The Durham Times, edited by Malcolm Warne, is modelled on its veteran stable-mate, the Darlington & Stockton Times, complete with gothic masthead, but, in the words of the judges’ citation, “it has taken an age-old local paper recipe and given it a taste of the 21st century.”
The 27th Cordners event, sponsored by the Campaign for North East England, covers newspapers, magazines and their associated websites from North Yorkshire to the Scottish border. Launched as a tribute by fellow journalists to Tom Cordner, news editor of the Hartlepool Mail when he died in 1976 aged only 38, they developed from a set of group awards with the present-day Northeast Press Ltd to embrace all North East titles and become the largest regional media awards operation in the UK.
A new award for News Website of the Year was won by the Northern Echo. Judges said their final choice reflected an advanced level of content and performance in www.northernecho.co.uk.
It showed the strong editorial hand of the paper and first-class navigation. Updating was impressive, especially in weekend sports coverage. The Echo had a good awards nigh, as Deputy Editor Chris Lloyd was named Journalist of the Year and took the Exclusive prize for getting the sole interview with Tony Blair on the day he finally left Downing Street. The Echo also captured prizes for Sport, Features and Health coverage.
Another award for 2009, for online Newspaper Video Journalism, was announced by Darlington College, sponsors of the Website award. The College has built video production into its NCTJ Preliminary training, and runs in-service courses for a number of news groups.
Kevin Maguire, associate editor of the Daily Mirror, presented the awards and was guest speaker. Born in South Shields, he explained he started his career in far-away Plymouth, after failing to get a job locally. He spoke of the resilience of people in the news trade which was often needed to uphold standards against the commercial pressures on newspapers. He described the Cordner entries on display at the event as ‘brilliant’ and evidence that journalism was in very good shape in the North East.
Helen Compson of the Hexham Courant is the new North East Weekly Journalist of the Year. The lifetime contribution to journalism award, made by the Society of Editors (North), was presented to Janis Blower of the Shields Gazette, whose accolade for a 37-year career, was warmly endorsed by Kevin Maguire
Stacy Hall, Director of Communications and Tourism for regional development agency ONE NorthEast, that runs the Campaign for North East England, said that North East England had a long and proud record of producing quality journalists, and the Cordner awards were an opportunity to applaud the media for the determination, courage, support of regional regeneration.
Full list of winners: Select Winners 2007-08 from the menu on the left
