Press Gazette has named Peter Jukes as the best reporter on Twitter – and social media overall.
He came top after a poll of Press Gazette readers and input from an expert panel of judges.
Press Gazette arrived at its list by inviting readers to name their favourite and top five reporters on social media.
Extra weight was given to top five selections of the expert judges.
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Jukes is a former dramatist who began blogging about US politics during the Obama election campaign in 2008 and since 2011 has also closely covered the hacking scandal.
After being initially commissioned to write one piece a week about the trial for the Daily Beast he appealed for crowdfunding via Indiegogo to cover the whole trial via Twitter.
He raised more than £20,000 in donations and has covered every day of the trial since it began on 28 October last year – writing more than 200,000 words. He is to see it through to its expected conclusion in May.
The judges for Press Gazette's Social Media Journalism Awards are:
- Matt Cooke: Former BBC journalist now Google product marketing manager
- Gordon MacMillan: Former editor of Brand Republic, now editorial manager for Twitter
- Jon Bernstein: Digital journalism consultant, editor and trainer. Former deputy editor and digital director of New Statesman, ex multimedia editor for Channel 4 News
- Paul Bradshaw: Founder of the Online Journalism Blog and head of the MA in online journalism at Birmingham University
- Dominic Ponsford: Editor of Press Gazette.
Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford said: “Our list wasn’t based on the number of followers journalists had, but on who – in the opinion of the judges and our readers – was the best reporter on Twitter and social media.
“So we were looking for journalists who embrace social media technology to use it as a medium in its own right to communicate the news.
“Peter Jukes’ coverage of the hacking trial made him a worthy winner. His prodigious coverage has been rigorous and fair and it has been in its own way historic.
“Jukes has found a loyal audience are willing to pay him well to read coverage which he is giving away for free. He has stumbled across a viable model for free digital journalism which performs a public service and ensures that justice is seen to be done.”
Press Gazette has named the top 10 choices in hierarchical order and then provides the rest of the top-50 arranged alphabetically.
Ponsford added: “We could have done a hierarchical top 50 but that felt a bit too arbitrary. These are 50 reporters who use social media well and are well worth following.”
1
Peter Jukes – @peterjukes – Author and journalist who has been live-tweeting from the hacking trial
2
Alexandra Rucki – @AlexandraRucki (formerly @WandsworthHack – Online journalist for the Evening Standard, formerly with the Wandsworth Guardian
3
Alex Thomson – @Alextomo – Chief correspondent and presenter Channel 4 News
4
Steve Hawkes – @Steve_Hawkes – Deputy political editor The Sun
5
Faisal Islam – @faisalislam – Economics editor Channel 4 News (joining Sky as politics editor)
6
Paul Waugh – @paulwaugh – Editor of Politics Home, editor in chief of Dods
7
Lucy Manning – @lucymanning – ITV News UK editor
8
Mark Stone – @Stone_SkyNews – Sky News Asia correspondent
9
Dave West – @Davewwest – Chief reporter Health Service Journal
10
Phil Mac Giolla Bhain – @Pmacgiollabhain – Journalist and writer living on the west coast of Ireland
The rest, in alphabetical order:
- Alex Marshall – @alexends – reporter for UK environmental business news services ENDS
- Barry Glendenning – @bglendenning – Deputy sports editor of Guardian.co.uk
- Brian Ferguson – @brianjaffa – Edinburgh-based journalist, arts follower and traveler around Scotland
- Caitlin Marsh – @CaitlinMEcho – Reporter, Bournemouth Echo
- Chris Ship – @chrisshipITV – ITV news deputy political editor
- Christopher Hope – @christopherhope – Daily Telegraph senior political correspondent
- Claire French – @clairee_french – Business journalist for The News in Portsmouth
- Craig Woodhouse – @craigawoodhouse – Sun political correspondent
- David Hencke – @davidhencke – Freelance political journalist
- David Leask – @Leasky – Chief reporter for The Herald in Glasgow
- David Ottewell – @davidottewell – head of data journalism Trinity Mirror
- David Wooding – @DavidWooding – Sun on Sunday political editor
- Emily Ashton – @elashton – Whitehall correspondent for The Sun
- Emily Gosden – @emilygosden – Energy editor Daily and Sunday Telegraph
- Felicity Morse – @FelicityMorse – Social media editor The Independent
- Fleet Street Fox – @fleetstreetfox – Fleet Street hack and author
- Francis Keogh – @HonestFrank – Sports reporter BBC
- Henry Winter – @henrywinter – Daily Telegraph football correspondent
- James Doleman – @jamesdoleman – Covering the hacking trial for The Drum
- Jason Evans – @EvansTheCrime – Crime reporter for the South Wales Evening Post
- Joanna Bourke – @EG_JoBourke – News reporter on Estates Gazette
- Kevin Schofield – @schofieldkevin – Sun chief political correspondent
- Laura Kuenssberg – @bbclaurak – Chief correspondent and presenter on Newsnight
- Lindsey Hilsum – @lindseyhilsum – Channel 4 News international editor
- Lisa O’Carroll – @lisaocarroll – Media Guardian reporter
- Martin Brunt – @skymartinbrunt – Sky News crime correspondent
- Neil Perrett – @neilperrettecho – Sports reporter for the Bournemouth Daily Echo
- Nick Sutton – @suttonnick – Editor of Radio 4’s World at One
- Paul Lewis – @PaulLewis – Guardian Washington correspondent
- Rachel Blundy – @rachelblundy – Online journalist Evening Standard
- Richard Mason – @MasonEcho – Sports writer for Northern Echo
- Rob Crilly – @robcrilly – Pakistan and Afghanistan correspondent Daily Telegraph
- Rob Harris – @RobHarris – UK-based sports reporter for The Associated Press
- Sam Morshead – @SamMorshead_SA – Chief sports writer Swindon Advertiser
- Simon Read – @simonnread – Personal finance editor I and The Independent
- Sophy Ridge – @SophyRidgeSky – Sky News political correspondent
- Sophia Sleigh – @SophiaSleigh – Chief reporter Wandsworth News
- Stuart Campbell – @Wingsscotland – Editor of pro Scottish Independence news website Wings Over Scotland
- Tim Shipman – @ShippersUnbound – Daily Mail deputy political editor
- Tom Newton Dunn – @tnewtondunn – Sun political editor
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