Agency team takes the crown for North East news coverage
A trio of journalists from the Press Association have added a new name to the long-running and fiercely-contested Hard News trophy in the 2010 Awards.
Tom Wilkinson, Rod Minchin and Hugh MacKnight pulled off their win with a joint entry covering the police-hunt for gun-man Raoul Moat last July 2010.
Judges said the PA coverage showed superb teamwork. Stories, flashes, round-ups, interviews and background pieces round-the-clock over several days helped to underpin reporting across the rest of the media industry.
It is PA’s first time PA for the Hard News prize, set up in memory of former Hartlepool Mail editor Maurice Brady, who helped to found the Tom Cordner Awards in 1980.
The 29th presentations night went ahead at the Customs House Theatre, South Shields seven weeks after snow forced a re-scheduling. To celebrate, winners, colleagues and guests feasted on the town’s famous Colmans award-winning fish and chips, and enoyed fun-of-the-fair sideshows.
The overall North East Journalist of the Year is Dave Roberts of the Northern Echo, who also won the Online Video News award. North East Trainee Journalist is Dan Warburton of ncjMedia; Magazine of the Year, Tynedale Life, and the Lifetime Contribution award went to Jon Smith for his work as a trainer, author and examiner across nearly three decades.
The first awards were set up by colleagues on the three papers where Tom Cordner had worked before his early death at 38 - the Hartlepool Mail, Sunderland Echo and Durham Advertiser. They quickly expanded to meet interest from the whole region’s print media. Categories now also cover blogs and video news on the papers’ associated websites.
Full list
North East Journalist of the Year
Sponsor: University of Sunderland
Dave Roberts – Northern Echo
Tom Cordner Quill for North EastTrainee Journalist of the Year
Sponsor: Semichem
Dan Warburton – ncjMedia
Highly Commended: Vicky Robson & Sara Nichol - ncjMedia
Also shortlisted: Richard Mennear - Hartlepool Mail; Chris Hole & Krysta Eaves - Evening Gazette; Kim Carmichael & Joanne Butcher – ncjMedia
North East Weekly Newspaper Journalist of the Year
Sponsor: Cordner Awards
Brian Tilley – Hexham Courant
Graeme Stanton Award: Lifetime contribution to Journalism in the North East
Sponsors: Society of Editors (North) & ncjMedia
Jon Smith – NCTL examiner, trainer and author
Jim Merrington Prize: North East Photographer of Year
Sponsors: Cordner Awards
Stuart Boulton – Northern Echo
Highly Commended: Paul Kingston - North News & Pictures
Also shortlisted: David Wood - Northern Echo; Owen Humphreys - Press Association; Lewis Arnold - ncjMedia
Picture of the Year: a boy welcomes his soldier father back from Aghanistan
Ian Weir Award: Picture of the Year
Sponsors: Northern Echo
Stuart Boulton – Northern Echo
Also shortlisted: David Wood - Northern Echo; Doug Moody - Evening Gazette; Paul Kingston - North News & Pictures; Owen Humphreys - Press Association; Lewis Arnold - ncjMedia
Maurice Brady Award - Hard News
Sponsor: Nexus
Tom Wilkinson, Rod Minchin, Hugh MacKnight – Press Association, Newcastle
Highly Commended: Dave Roberts Northern Echo
Also shortlisted: Dan Warburton – ncjMedia; Lauren Pyrah - Northern Echo; Lisa Nightingale - Shields Gazette; Adam Jupp - Evening Chronicle; Sarah Judd - Evening Gazette
Mike Gilligan Prize: Magazine of Year
Sponsor: the Chartered Institute of Public Relations – North East
Tynedale Life - Editor, Myles Hodnett
Highly Commended: Cheers - Alastair Gilmour
Also shortlisted: Luxe & FQ Food Quarter - Kathryn Armstrong; Culture - David Whetstone; BQ Business Quarter - Brian Nicholls; A Love Supreme - Martyn McFadden; Accent - Kevin Wright
Online Video News coverage
Sponsor: Northern Film & Media
Dave Roberts – Northern Echo
Highly Commended: Gavin Havery - Northern Echo
Also shortlisted: Joe Willis - Northern Echo; Ross Robertson - Sunderland Echo; Tom Collins, Chris Young, Frank Reid - Hartlepool Mail
Fred Hurrell Prize for features
Sponsor: Northern Gas Networks
Hannah Davies – ncjMedia
Highly Commended: Sarah Judd - Evening Gazette; Jessica Forster - Sunderland Echo
Also shortlisted: Karen Wilson & Rob Pattinson – ncjMedia; Lucy Richardson, Jim Entwistle & Steve Pratt - Northern Echo; Alastair Gilmour - The Journal; Emma Andrews - Hexham Courant
Durhams Sporting Plate
Sponsors: Cordner Awards
Mark Douglas – ncjMedia
Highly Commended: John Gibson – Evening Chronicle
Also shortlisted: Scott Wilson - Northern Echo; Brian Tilley- Hexham Courant; Luke Edwards - The Journal
NE Prize for Health & Wellbeing coverage
Sponsor: Northumbrian Water
Karen Wilson – ncjMedia
Highly Commended: Hannah Davies - ncjMedia
Also shortlisted: Dan Warburton, Rob Pattinson & Joanne Butcher - ncjMedia; Barry Nelson - Northern Echo; Emma Andrews - Hexham Courant
ABC Spike for overall page design
Sponsor: Creative Image Design
Alan Formby-Jackson – Evening Gazette
Also shortlisted: Keith McCaffery & News Team - Hartlepool Mail; Babette Decker -The Journal/Culture; Paul Cunningham - ncjMedia
Splash Subbing Award & Tony Dumphy trophy
Sponsor: Evening Gazette
News Team – Hartlepool Mail
Also shortlisted: Production Team - Shields Gazette; Keith McCaffrey - Hartlepool Mail
Phillip Hickey Trophy: Columnist/Blogger of the Year
Sponsor: Northeast Press Ltd
Alastair Gilmour - The Journal
Highly Commended: Brian Tilley - Hexham Courant
Also shortlisted: Graeme Whitfield - The Journal; Mieka Smiles & Hannah Davies – ncjMedia; Dave Robson - Evening Gazette; Richard Ord - Sunderland Echo
Eric Dobson Scroll : Top NCE Marks in the region
Sponsor: Cordner Awards
Alison Goulding - Sunderland Echo