View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
April 13, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 6:56pm

Newspapers digest

By Press Gazette

Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (pictured) has won this year’s Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism — awarded in memory of the famous war reporter.

The judges said Abdul-Ahad’s "extraordinary series of articles in The Guardian provided a rare insight into the reality of the Anglo-American occupation. Abdul-Ahad will receive £5,000. For the first time in the history of the prize a special award is being given to Jonathan Steele, another Guardian writer, for "consistent, distinguished and frequently brilliant work over many years".

Sacked Sunday Telegraph editor Sarah Sands has returned to the journalistic fray with a job at the Daily Mail. Sands was sacked in March as editor after just under nine months in the job. This weekend she re-emerged for the first time after her exit with a diary-style column in The Independent on Sunday. And on Monday she started a new, as yet undefined role, as a consultant editor of the Daily Mail.

A Belfast businessman has launched a legal battle for libel damages of more than £300,000 from the publishers of The Sunday Times. Peter Curistan is suing over a story headed "‘IRA’ developer in row over accounts", which appeared in the Irish edition of The Sunday Times on 19 February.

Jockey Kieren Fallon has cleared a key hurdle in his High Court libel claim against the Racing Post, over allegations he was part of a race-fixing scam. In the ongoing action, Fallon claims that a front-page article on 7 September 2004 would be understood to mean that he was part of a "criminal conspiracy" in which Miles Rodgers, founder of the Platinum Racing Club, was alleged to have enjoyed considerable success backing horses to lose. Libel judge Mr Justice Eady ruled in a preliminary legal skirmish that MGN Ltd, publisher of the Racing Post, was not entitled to plead in its defence alternative, lesser meanings for what was published. The alternative and lesser meanings that they had argued could be put on the passages complained of included that there were "reasonable grounds to suspect" Mr Fallon, or "sufficient grounds to investigate" him.

A man accused of the 1996 murder of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin — Patrick Eugent ‘Dutchy’ Holland — has been released from prison in the Republic of Ireland after serving nine years of a I2-year sentence for drug offences. He had been named in court as the killer of the journalist, an accusation he has always denied.

The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is returning from Jerusalem after four years as Israel correspondent in the summer and will be moving to Johannesburg. He is being replaced by Rory McCarthy, who is currently Middle East reporter. McCarthy joined The Guardian in 2002 as Pakistan correspondent.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network