There is a strangeness about the British press – the newspapers go from ponderous analysis to pure entertainment and they bring the techniques of journalism to bear on all of that content. But, at the British Press Awards, there was some outstanding journalism on display. To invidiously name just three of the winners:
- Sheila McNulty on BP
- The Sunday Times for Cash for Honours
- Christina Lamb in Afghanistan
Still, there were no online awards, and as host and TV news anchor, Jon Snow, pointed out – isn’t the press the media now? How many people in the audience, he asked, had come from podcasting and video-editing? To be fair, not many. Can the day be long nigh when these awards converge with others!
(Incidentally, the basement ballroom at the awards venue was a cellphone blackspot which left even diehard Twitter fans feeling like…well Twatters.)
3 responses to “The best of British journalism”
As a confirmed Twitter twat I was disappointed there was no mobi reception, but excited to hear that next year’s awards will include digital. With competition hotting up among newspapers’ digital operations, it should certainly add to the fun… do you think they’ll sort out some Wifi for all the bloggers?
I’m afraid my Twitter line emerged from
a) watching Martin Stabe miss his dinner
b) a regrettable impulse to write ‘twatter’
c) techno-fear
a) was charitable, b) and c) just sad.
But it would be nice to seem some digital awards next year. Be interesting to see how deep and wide they run…digital journalism has to be more than just a token gong.
You’re quite right on the breadth and depth… wouldn’t it be good to see interviewer of the year, for instance, go to someone who’d been recognised for delivering part of their work (at least) at award-winning standard in audio or video? Or the next newspaper of the year winning the prize, at least in part, for the quality of its website?