Daily Record and David Leask Triumph at Scottish Press Awards
20/04/2007
The Record's triumph followed taking the Journalist Team of the Year title - for its reporting of the race-hate murder of Glasgow teenager, Kriss Donald - and also the Scoop of the Year award, for Natalie Walker's reporting of schoolgirl, Lisa Norris, who had just celebrated the news she had beaten cancer only to be told doctors had accidentally given her 17 potentially fatal radiation overdoses.
Leask had picked up the Reporter of the Year award before then being chosen Journalist of the Year. He was so taken by surprise at the accolade, he forgot to take up the opportunity to give a thank-you speech. Now with The Herald, Leask won this prize for work he had done last year for sister title, the Evening Times, about Glasgow's teenage gangs.
Leask's victory helped lift some of the gloom that will have descended at the start of the day at The Herald, the Evening Times and the Sunday Herald - owners, Newsquest, having issued a request to staff to apply for voluntary redundancy, as part of a proposed budget slash of between two and three million pounds, by the summer.
Other notable victories included Scotland on Sunday's Catherine Deveney, who took the Arts and Entertainment Writer of the Year prize, for the fourth consecutive year. Meanwhile, Iain King, of the Scottish Sun, picked up the Sports News Writer of the Year award for a second, successive year. After his recent triumph in the features category of the British Press Awards, it was no surprise when Michael Tierney, of The Herald, was chosen Feature Writer of the Year.
The ceremony was deftly handled by host, TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly. Chair of the judging panel, Charles Wilson, described 2006 as a "turbulent" time for Scottish newspapers.
One interested onlooker will have been Rebekah Wade, editor of the Sun, UK-wide, understood to be in Scotland to inform SNP leader, Alex Salmond, that his party cannot expect to receive her paper's backing in the run-up to the elections to the Scottish Parliament.
She could only have been impressed by the thank-you speech delivered by former Scotsman stalwart, Fordyce Maxwell, recently retired and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The resulting, unanimous standing ovation will have been mostly to recognise his outstanding contribution to Scottish journalism, but partly to acknowledge a hugely entertaining, moving and thought-provoking address.
Of the twelve editors he worked for at The Scotsman, three he singled out for special praise: Eric Mackay, Magnus Linklater and Jim Seaton. Some, he was clearly less enamoured by: "There's one currently in Australia [Andrew Jaspan], which is not quite far enough away, for my liking," he quipped.
The full list of winners, runners-up and nominated reads:
Scoop of the Year
Winner: Natalie Walker, Daily Record – Lisa Norris
Runner-up: Gail Cameron, The Scottish Sun – Pregnant Aged 11
Nominated:
Jane Hamilton, Sunday Mail – Derek Alexander Doran
Cara Page, Daily Record – Alan McIllwraith
Alan Roden, Edinburgh Evening News – A Jack The Lad
Reporter of the Year
Winner: David Leask, Evening Times
Runner-up: Neil Mackay, Sunday Herald
Nominated:
Gail Cameron, The Scottish Sun
Cara Page, Daily Record
Natalie Walker, Daily Record
Financial / Business Writer of the Year
Winner: Simon Bain, The Herald
Runner-up: John Penman, The Sunday Times Scotland
Nominated:
Martin Flanagan, The Scotsman
Ken Symon, Sunday Herald
Feature Writer of the Year
Winner: Michael Tierney, The Herald
Runner-up: Catherine Deveney, Scotland on Sunday – Spectrum Magazine
Nominated:
Neil Mackay, Sunday Herald
Lorna Martin, The Observer
Peter Ross, Sunday Herald
Lucy Adams, The Herald
Columnist of the Year
Winner: Ian Bell, Sunday Herald
Runner-up: Melanie Reid, The Herald
Nominated:
Gillian Bowditch, The Sunday Times Scotland
Moira Gordon, Scotland on Sunday
Tom Shields, Sunday Herald
Campaign of the Year
Winner: Shetland Times – Free Sakachai
Runner-up: Evening Times – Crime on Your Street
Nominated:
The Scotsman – Forth Crossing Plans
Edinburgh Evening News – Queens Hall Closure
News of the World – Mark’s Law
Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser – Monklands Hospital
Front Page of the Year
Winner: Scottish Daily Mail – My Torment, By Angela Donald
Runner-up: Evening Times - Gangs
Nominated:
Daily Record – Tommy Drops His Briefs
News of the World – Sheridan Confesses
Sunday Herald - Remember
The Scottish Sun – Punch Drunk
Journalist Team of the Year
Winner: Daily Record - Kriss Donald
Runner-up: Evening Express - Dean Jamieson
Nominated:
Daily Record - Farepak
News of the World - Tommy Sheridan
Scottish Daily Mail - Kriss Donald
Weekly Newspaper Journalist of the Year
Winner: John Hutcheson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Runner-up: Craig Robertson, Dumfries & Galloway Standard
Nominated:
Jill Buchanan, Falkirk Herald
Joseph O’Brien, Wishaw Press
Fay Winter, Wishaw Press
Political Journalist of the Year
Winner: Paul Hutcheon, Sunday Herald
Runner-up: Eddie Barnes, Scotland on Sunday
Nominated:
Campbell Gunn, The Sunday Post
Stuart Nicolson, Scottish Daily Mail
Mandy Rhodes, Holyrood Magazine
Sports Feature Writer of the Year
Winner: Tom English, Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Richard Wilson, The Sunday Times Scotland
Nominated:
Douglas Alexander, The Sunday Times Scotland
Bill Leckie, The Scottish Sun
Gordon Waddell, Sunday Mail
Sports News Writer of the Year
Winner: Iain King, The Scottish Sun
Runner-up: Keith Jackson, Daily Record
Nominated:
Chris Fitzgerald, Greenock Telegraph
John Greechan, Scottish Daily Mail
Natasha Woods, Sunday Herald
Arts / Entertainment Writer of the Year
Winner: Catherine Deveney, Scotland on Sunday – Spectrum Magazine
Runner-up: Susan Swarbrick, The Herald
Nominated:
Teddy Jamieson, The Herald
Phil Miller, The Herald
David Robinson, The Scotsman
Cartoonist of the Year
Winner: Steven Camley, The Herald
Runner-up: Brian Adcock, Scotland on Sunday
Nominated:
Harry Horse, Sunday Herald
Ranald MacColl, Scottish Daily Mirror
Bill McArthur, The Herald
Young Journalist of the Year
Winner: Steve Dinneen, Sunday Mail
Runner-up: Rachelle Money, Freelance
Nominated:
Mark McLaughlin, Freelance
Peter John Meiklem, The Big Issue in Scotland
Fay Winter, Wishaw Press
Alice Wyllie, The Scotsman
Gaelic Journalist of the Year
Winner: Aonghas Padraig Caimbeul, An Gaidheal Ur
Runner-up: Raghnall MacilleDhuibh, The Scotsman
Nominated:
Alasdair H Campbell, The Scotsman
Alison Lang, The Scotsman
Ruairidh MacIlleathain, Cothram
News Photographer of the Year
Winner: Mark Runnacles, Daily Record
Runner-up: Ian Rutherford, The Scotsman
Nominated:
Derek Blair, Daily Record
Phil Dye, Daily Record
Danny Lawson, Press Association
Tony Nicoletti, Daily Record
Sports Photographer of the Year
Winner: Kenny Ramsay, The Scottish Sun
Runner-up: Tom Main, Freelance
Nominated:
Henry McInnes, Sunday Mail
Colin Mearns, The Herald
Ian Rutherford, The Scotsman
Lifetime Achievement
Fordyce Maxwell
Journalist of the Year
David Leask, Evening Times
Newspaper of the Year
Daily Record
comments
- ""Yup, i agree entirely with Ban. A huge dose of healthy scepticism is certainly required when it comes to who is deemed worthiest recipients of these awards. With regards to those who are "honoured" in the tiny and claustrophobic world that is Scottish meeja - much of it rests on nepotism and sychophancy. In my opinion, this appears rife both among the judging panel and the partiality of individual editors who give the favoured few either space, time and resources to develop stories, or who simply hand the "award-winning" news/feature line to them. Even some awardees would have to admit that. In saying that, though, I do think some awardees each year are truly deserved - certainly Natalie Walker from the Daily Record is, I think, one among others this year who deserves a name-check. Otherwise, I reckon the best thing to do is don't believe your own hype ... just enjoy the free p*ss up party - and lose the cheap cut-glass award in a gutter on the way home. Now that's classy!""
shinyhappyperson 21/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "There are all kinds of glitches where these awards are concerned. You have situations where hacks are winning prizes for stories gained from columnists their papers are paying thousands to for example ie in sports news. The Sunday broadsheets, meanwhile, wouldn't know a deadline if it reared up and struck them. Many daily feature / news writers could write a pulitzer given five days to polish it. But congrats to all the winners anyway."
Ban the Bigots 21/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "you're right Brutus. I do have a chip on my shoulder. My parents lived one close away from me being able to join the Parkhead Border and the Carntyne Fleeto wouldn't have me. So I had to stay at home with my Spectrum ZX to avoid daily beatings. Or do you mean I'm bitter that I didn't win? 'Fraid not you big mad mental nutcase (prefer being called that?)If the judges think that Glasgow Gangs was the best Scotland's journalists had to offer last year then I wouldn't trust them to judge an Easter bonnet parade. And I suspect you may be one of them ...."
Julius Caesar 21/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "Julius, I know your sort.. the sort who turns up in Easterhouse, gives a ned 20 fags so they can stage a fight for you. Anyone who wants to do a serious piece on teen gangs avoids Easterhouse, too cliched. And for your information, these cliched Easterhouse guys are media savvy now, they want £40-60 these days. It's crap, totally ruined by tv crews who come up from daaan souff.... they want to do a piece on gangs, so they head to Easterhouse, bung the boys a few quid and hey presto.... instant Glasgow-no-mean-city-gang cliche.
Well, getting into the real gangs is a bit harder than that, obviously you haven't tried it. The ones that talk the talk are generally the wannabees, the quiet ones are the ones you need to get to.
Me a sheltered life? I don't think so.... I'm not the one with a massive chip on my shoulder. And just try calling a gang member "dear chap" and he would soon knock that chip right off your shoulder!
Get back to greeting into your beer..."
Brutus 21/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "Brutus, now come on. you must've lead very sheltered life dear chap. hard to gain the trust of teen gang members? nothing 20 fags won't sort out!! and what can boost their street cred more than a "menshy in the paper, min"? PLEEEZE!!!"
Julius Caesar1 20/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "Yeh, let it go julius. Better luck next year, sweetheart ;-)"
shinyhappyperson 20/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "Julius Caesar... you are being a prat. I know the work that David Leask and the photographer put into that week long feature and I can assure you it is a harder thing to do than for a piece on major gansgters. Sour grapes? I think so... There was a lot of research, granted, but there also was a huge amount of time spent with these teenage gangs, gaining their trust and also getting in the middle of a lot of scary stuff. Stop talking crap before someone assasinates you.... et tu?"
Brutus 20/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "How on earth could someone win Reporter of the Year for what amounts to a historic guide/cuts job on Glasgow Gangs. Hardly cuttin' fuckin' edge by the way!! I'm currently putting together a version of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for next year ....."
Julius Caesar 20/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "ah, such bitterness from one so young. ... ok, i can kind of see your point - but that doesn't take away from the fact that michael tierney and catherine deveney are excellent much-deserved winners whose subject matters are a tad weightier than feng shui."
shinyhappyperson 20/04/2007
report content as inappropriate - "Funny how you'll never see a tabloid journalist nominated for FEature Writer of the Year, even though they consistently have the most limited space, tightest deadlines and most intransigent editors to cope with. Any fucker can write a 2,000 word feature on feng shui for the Sunday Herald....."
Jack Havana 20/04/2007
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