British Journalism Awards 2012 showcase: Innovation of the Year finalists

A showcase of the public interest journalism (in every sense) which saw these institutions, events and ideas commended by the British Journalism Awards judges as Innovation of the Year

Winner: The Guardian – ‘Reading the Riots’

In a unique exercise for British Journalism The Guardian collaborated with the London School of Economics, with funding from two charitable foundations, to interview 500 people involved in last year’s riots and gather two million words of testimony. The judges described it as “a massive piece of work and beautifully presented” and they were particular impressed with the interactive elements, the clever interpretation and presentation of data and the use of print, video and digital platforms to tell a complex story.

Finalists

Ben Whitelaw (The Times) – Cities Fit for Cycling Project

What sets Cities fit for Cycling apart from other campaigns is that it was a truly multi-platform campaign, integrating social media with print and tablet editions to make people aware about the issue of cycle safety. The response has been overwhelming; 35,000 pledged their support for The Times' eight point manifesto, 7,000 contributed stories about their experiences of cycling and almost 4,000 emailed their MP from the public campaign page.

Channel 4 News – No Go Britain

No Go Britain was a multimedia campaign highlighting the problems faced by disabled transport users. The investigation was driven by intensive social media interaction focused around a dedicated Twitter feed, dedicated Facebook page, a YouTube channel and the hashtag #nogobritain. In the end, the digital activity fed back into the programme, bringing these users into the studio to ask questions of the transport bosses they felt were so badly failing them.

John Dale – 24 Hours in Journalism book and investigative project

John Dale's book 24 Hours is innovative and groundbreaking in being the first narrative book to describe how a free press works in real time. 24 Hours is a cut-price internship, a lesson and a teaching aid all-in-one. In purpose and practice, its mission is the universal promotion of journalism, and a free press, for all.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

The Bureau is a philanthropically funded, not-for-profit outfit, established to help bolster original news and educate the public, and the media, on both the realities of today’s world and the value of honest reporting. Its investigation into US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia has been recognised as the ‘best currently available’ source on the subject by Stanford University due to the scrupulous methods employed including a fully disclosed methodology, a constantly updated and available database and cross-referenced investigations.

Channel 4 – Dispatches App

This Channel 4 app streams bespoke real time content during the Dispatches broadcasts. The Dispatches app was designed to provide additional content and live interaction to enhance viewers' experience of watching Channel 4 Dispatches. You can use it to take part in polls and get additional information on the issues being discussed in the programmes on your iPhone, iPad or Android phones or tablets. The app follows programmes on Channel 4 and Channel 4+1 and can be downloaded free from the app store.