The Financial Times was named News Provider of the Year at the British Journalism Awards as it took home four awards at the event in central London, the most of any newspaper.
The Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman took the prize for Journalist of the Year for her work exposing the Windrush scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
The judges said her reporting had been “astonishing” and “set the agenda for weeks”, adding: “The detail and the case studies were brilliant and everyone followed this story up.”
Scroll down for the full list of winners
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Carole Cadwalladr won the Technology Journalism and Investigation of the Year awards for her work on the Cambridge Analytica files. The latter prize was shared jointly with Channel 4 News.
This year there were more than 400 entries for the 22 categories of the British Journalism Awards, examined by 50 independent judges.
As well as taking the top prize, the FT also won the Innovation award for the Uber Game, while journalist Laura Hughes took the Political Journalism prize and Matthew Garrahan won for Arts and Entertainment .
The Times and Sunday Times were also big winners on the night, taking home a total of five awards between them.
Imprisoned Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo won two prizes: Foreign Affairs Journalism and Investigation of the Year (Global).
The pair are serving a seven-year prison sentence for allegedly breaching Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act.
Reuters has said there is “no evidence of wrongdoing” by either journalist and last month launched an appeal against their sentence.
The judges said: “We are all in debt to reporters who are willing to put their liberty on the line in order to tell the world things the world needs to know about.”
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford said the British Journalism Awards had “sent out the strongest possible message of support” for the pair and wished Reuters success with their appeal.
Full list of winners for the British Journalism Awards 2018:
Technology Journalism, sponsored by Huawei
Winner: Carole Cadwalladr, The Cambridge Analytica Files (The Observer)
Carole Cadwalladr receives the Technology Journalism Award from Ed Brewster, head of communications at award sponsor Huawei
The judges said: “This was a first class piece of investigative journalism – marrying high quality writing with revelation on a matter of real public interest.
“Cadwalladr used the resources of the paper to challenge non-disclosure agreement legal restrictions and pushed the envelope more than anyone else on this story. It raised a crucial issue for democracy in the digital age the ramifications of which are still rumbling on.”
Features Journalism
Highly Commended: Ross Wynne Jones, Wigan Pier Project (Daily Mirror)
Winner: Duncan Leatherdale, Whirlpool (BBC News)
Duncan Leatherdale accepts the award for Features Journalism from John Mair
The judges said: “This was the piece which left the most lasting impression. It was a tale of how one person’s grief led them to take ever greater risks and eventually lose their own life.
“It was a story told brilliantly in a multimedia format with masterful economy of language which will have spoken to the many who have struggled with loss and mental health.”
Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Google
Highly Commended: The Guardian, Relationship funding strategy
Winner: Financial Times, The Uber Game
Robin Kwong of the FT collects the Innovation prize
The judges said: “Uber Game was an innovative approach to story telling which put the reader into the shoes of people they would otherwise struggle to empathise with. It also brought the FT to new audiences driving significant reach and engagement for the FT website.”
Arts and Entertainment
Winner: Matthew Garrahan, Financial Times
Matt Garrahan accepts the award for Arts and Entertainment Journalism
The judges said: “Matthew Garrahan broke significant new ground on the big showbiz story of the year – the Harvey Weinstein scandal – and moved it forward by revealing how leading legal firms were complicit in the cover-up.
“He not only won the trust of one of Weinstein’s victims but persuaded her to break an NDA.”
Business, Finance and Economics Journalism, sponsored by Aviva
Winner: Jeff Prestridge, Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sundays Jeff Prestridge accepts the award for BUsiness, Finance and Economics Journalism from Andy Briggs, chief executive of UK insurance at Aviva
The judges said: “Jeff Prestridge combined his deep understanding of business with sharp instincts for popular campaigning journalism to fight for consumers over scandalous sharp practice by insurers who penalise customers for being loyal.”
Politics Journalism
Winner: Laura Hughes, Financial Times
Laura Hughes wins the Political Journalism prize
The judges said: “This story – Abuse of Power, the Truth about Sexual Harassment at Westminster – was broken before #metoo and prompted a damning official report on bullying at Westminster. This was a forensically-detailed investigation which involved extensive research and numerous confidential sources.”
Comment Journalism
Highly Commended: Dominic Lawson, The Sunday Times
The judges said: “Dominic Lawson cuts through cant and hypocrisy with comment pieces which are superbly researched.”
Winner: Janice Turner, The Times
Janice Turner wins the Comment Journalism prize
The judges said: “Janice Turner produces brilliant comment pieces which could appear in any paper. She writes with courage prompting debate about difficult-to-tackle issues.”
Campaign of the Year
Winner: Larisa Brown and David Williams, Betrayal of the Brave (Daily Mail)
David Williams and Larisa Brown accept the Campaign of the Year award from Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray
The judges said: “The campaign to provide sanctuary in Britain for Afghan interpreters was a classic example of the Daily Mail’s relentless campaigning strength. When the Daily Mail believes in something it goes for it, and in this case it was also backed up with great journalism about a cause which is counter to what some people would expect of the paper.”
Photojournalism
Highly Commended: Hannah McKay, Reuters
Winner: Paula Bronstein, The Sunday Times
Christina Lamb collects the Photojournalism prize on behalf of Paula Bronstein
The judges said: “Her picture of a crying child superbly captured the plight of Rohingya Muslims. It was a picture that was worth far more than a thousand words, which touches the heart and which helped The Sunday Times raise more than £800,000 in its Christmas appeal.”
Science and Health Journalism, sponsored by Astellas Pharma
Highly Commended: Ross Lydall, London Evening Standard
Winner: Helen McArdle, NHS Tayside Exposé (The Herald)
Helen McArdle picks up the Science and Health Journalism prize
The judges said: “This was good old fashioned investigative journalism which got results with the resignation of the chairman and chief executive of a charity. It was an issue of huge public interest which was clearly shocking for readers.”
Sports Journalism, sponsored by the University of Gloucestershire Media School
Highly Commended: Simon Kuper, Financial Times
Winner: Jonathan Calvert and George Arbunthnott, The Sunday Times
Jonathan Calvert (left) and George Arbunthnott (centre) collect the Sports Journalism prize from Tom Bradshaw, course leader of the sports journalism degree at sponsor the University of Gloucestershire
The judges said: “This was another great piece of campaigning investigative journalism from The Sunday Times. Taking on powerful vested interests to expose widespread corruption and vote rigging behind one of the world’s largest sporting events.”
Popular Journalism
Winner: Ian Birrell, Leave us alone or arrest me (Mail on Sunday)
Ian Birrell of the Mail on Sunday picks up the Popular Journalism prize
The judges said: “Ian Birrell’s report on a mother who was set to smuggle banned cannabis oil into the UK to keep her son alive brought together all the tools of popular journalism to help change the law, change the country and save lives.”
Foreign Affairs Journalism
Winner: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Massacre in Myanmar (Reuters)
Janet McBride, International Editor, Enterprise and Investigations at Reuters collects the Foreign Affairs Journalism prize on behalf of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo
The judges said: “They exposed this story in the face of government obstruction and at great personal risk to themselves. Unfortunately they can’t join us tonight because they have been imprisoned in Myanmar since their arrest just under a year ago.”
Local Heroes
Highly Commended: Jonathan Gibson, BBC
Highly Commended: Tom Bristow and Dom Gilbert, Eastern Daily Press
Winner: Stephen Nolan and and David Thomson, BBC Radio Ulster
David Thompson collecting the Local Heroes award
The judges said: “BBC Radio Ulster took a complex global financial investigation and brought it to life for the people Northern Ireland by naming and shaming tax dodgers. This was punchy journalism which clearly struck a chord with listeners and prompted a huge amount of feedback.”
New Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Bournemouth University
Highly Commended: Luke Barratt, Inside Housing
Winner: Richard Holmes, Buzzfeed UK
New Journalist of the Year Richard Holmes of Buzzfeed with Karen Fowler-Watt from sponsor Bournemouth University
The judges said: “This was a heavy-duty public interest story that really matters exposing major shortcomings in standards of care for vulnerable children.”
Specialist Journalism, sponsored by Ableforth’s
Winner: Patrick Strudwick, This gay man was given repeated electric shocks by British doctors to make him straight (Buzzfeed UK)
Patrick Strudwick of Buzzfeed UK wins the Specialist Journalism award
The judges said: “This was gripping writing about a specialist area of life that isn’t always given the attention it deserves by the media. These were shocking stories that would otherwise not get told.”
Scoop of the Year
Winner: Sean O’Neill, Oxfam Scandal (The Times)
Sean O’Neill of the Times wins Scoop of the Year
The judges said: “This story was an earthquake created by The Times which is still rumbling on for Oxfam in the UK and around the world. It took brilliant journalism to unearth this story and courage to expose uncomfortable truths about one of the UK’s most popular charities.”
Investigation of the Year (Global)
Winner: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo
Janet McBride, International Editor, Enterprise and Investigations at Reuters collects the Investigation of the Year (Global) prize on behalf of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo from judge Kurt Barling
The judges said: “We are all in debt to reporters who are willing to put their liberty on the line in order to tell the world things the world needs to know about.
“They investigated atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims in the face of very significant opposition from the government, a government which up until that then we had thought was run by a saint.
“Their work had a major impact on international opinion and was genuine world-changing journalism.”
Investigation of the Year, sponsored by Transparency International
Winners: Carole Cadwalladr, Revealed: 50m Facebook files taken in record data breach (The Observer)
Carole Cadwalladr and the Observer team after she won Investigation of the Year, with Dominic Kavakeb, head of communications at sponsor Transparency International UK
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Andy Davies and Kylie Morris Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks: Cambridge Analytica Uncovered (Channel 4 News)
The Channel 4 Investigations Team after their Investigation of the Year win, with Dominic Kavakeb, head of communications at sponsor Transparency International UK
The judges said: “This was a fantastic example of a collaborative investigation. Both organisations showed long-term commitment to this story and both made a contribution appropriate to the genre they were working in.
“Carole Cadwalladr secured the tell-all interview with whistleblower Christopher Wylie in defiance of an non-disclosure agreement. Channel 4 News went undercover to reveal how Cambridge Analytica secretly campaigns in elections across the world.
“Together this investigation had a huge impact on a matter massive public interest: the way technology and social media is being deployed to subvert democracy.”
Marie Colvin Award
Winner: Louise Callaghan, The Sunday Times
Louise Callaghan for The Sunday Times picks up the Marie Colvin Award from A Private War director Matthew Heineman
The judges said: “Louise Callaghan’s work fights to get to the truth of what is happening on the ground in rebel-held Syria – travelling there several times this year to reveal the human impact of this global war.
“She told the incredible story of the white helmets’ escape from Syria and also bore witness to crimes governments and armed groups would rather were hidden away. In the Colvin tradition her work focuses on the effect of war on civilians’ lives.”
Journalist of the Year 2018, sponsored by Cision Jobs
Winner: Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian
The Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman picks up Journalist of the Year (also pictured top with Stuart Thomas of award sponsor Cision Jobs)
Judges said: “Amelia’s work exposing the scandalous treatment of Windrush immigrants was astonishing. It set the agenda for weeks and brought down a Home Secretary (even though the policy came straight from Mrs May). The detail and the case studies were brilliant and everyone followed this story up.”
News Provider of the Year 2018
Winner: Financial Times
Financial Times news editor Peter Spiegel picks up the News Provider of the Year award
The judges said: “The FT has excelled across all subject areas of journalism going far beyond its core subject area and pushing the boundaries if what readers might expect from a Fleet Street stalwart which has become a global news brand.
“This title has had a superb year repeatedly setting the news agenda with its investigations and raising the bar with clear, impactful, quality journalism which has made a difference.”
Pictures: Press Gazette/ The Photo Team
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