Innovative News Media Honoured at newsawards 2016
Innovation in the national, regional and local news media industry was celebrated at the newsawards last night which marked its 20th anniversary this year.
National newspaper of the year was awarded to The Daily Telegraph and The Courier, Dundee, scooped regional newspaper of the year at the awards.
Attended by more than 500 guests from across the industry, the event at the London Lancaster was hosted by stand-up comedian and star of QI and Jonathan Creek, Alan Davies.
The big winner in the Digital categories was The Guardian which took four of the five awards: news website of the year, news app of the year, best use of user generated content and most innovative use of mobile technology.
Introducing the awards, Gary Cullum, newsawards director, spoke of the power of newspapers to hold authority to account and the importance of a free press to democracy.
Gary said: “Newspapers and news brands today – across all platforms of print, online, mobile and social media – reach out to international, national, regional and local communities in ways other media cannot hope to match. Our unparalleled press educates and informs, probes and investigates and holds those in power to account. Every day we are reminded how fortunate we are to live and work in a society where a free press can operate.
“The UK’s news media market is one of the strongest and most diverse in the world. We know that we have something special to offer because more people than ever are making our publications an essential part of their daily lives – around the clock and around the world.
“I’m sure each of us is in agreement with the recently-launched mission statement of the News Media Association, in which newspapers were described as ‘the powerhouse for news provision in the UK’.
“Our business invests two thirds of the total spent on original news content and sets the political agenda and feeds other news outlets. We do indeed hold those in power to account – the Panama Papers being just the latest example of news media setting the agenda, forcing change and keeping politicians on their toes.
“Our industry has some pretty impressive stats and such a different footprint to 20 years ago:
- 47 million people are reached by news brands in the UK each month compared to Google’s 45 million;
- UK news brands drove 967 million social media interactions during 2015;
- Digital delivers an incremental increase to news brands’ print readership of 36 per cent;
- News brands share 87 per cent of their audience with Twitter.
“Newspapers in all their formats have an informative and engaging connection with the reader. It is this connection that gives national and regional and local press, in print and online, a fundamental role in delivering advertisers a highly trusted and relevant environment, which drives real action.”