Green Week and Help Save Charlie Campaigns Win 2021 Making a Difference Awards

The Sun and The Reading Chronicle have won this year’s Making a Difference national and local awards for their campaigns Green Week and Help Save Charlie.

Making a Difference is part of the News Media Association’s annual Journalism Matters campaign to highlight the vital role journalism plays in our society. The public were invited to view the campaigns in the local and national showcases and vote for their favourites.

NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: “Huge congratulations to both The Sun and The Reading Chronicle for their winning campaigns this year. There was an exceptionally high standard of entries, showcasing British journalism’s prowess in campaigning for positive change.

“The Help Save Charlie and Green Week campaigns are brilliant examples of the vital importance of journalism as a powerful platform for informing and engaging the public, as well as for fundraising and shining a spotlight on important causes.

“Both these worthy winners exemplify the Making a Difference Award – to highlight the importance of trusted and quality journalism produced by the news media industry.”

The Sun launched their campaign Green Week in October 2020 asking readers to go green by pledging to reduce their waste, meat consumption, plastic use and to recycle, reuse and repair. The Green Team campaign spanned print, online, Fabulous magazine and their social channels.

The Reading Chronicle launched their campaign Help Save Charlie last year to raise awareness of the devastating impact of Charlie’s battle with medulloblastoma, a high-grade brain tumour which he had been diagnosed with at the age of eight. The paper dedicated coverage to Charlie’s story, advocating the need for better treatments in the UK and pushed for fundraising for Charlie’s cause, which ultimately saw thousands of pounds raised.

This year, Journalism Matters Week has seen support from the Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries MP, Reporters Without Borders director Rebecca Vincent, and Campaign for Freedom of Information director, Maurice Frankel.

Hundreds of national and local newspapers have also celebrated the annual campaign coordinated by the News Media Association by celebrating the vital contribution trusted journalism makes to our democratic society.