THE Times writer, Melanie Reid, who a year ago broke her back and neck in a horseriding accident, and who began penning a column about her slow recovery, has been named Journalist of the Year at this year’s Scottish Press Awards.
This evening’s awards ceremony – the 32nd Scottish Press Awards – also saw the Scottish Daily Mail named Newspaper of the Year. Meanwhile, Derek Tucker – who retired as editor of the Press and Journal in January after 18 years at the helm – was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement accolade.
In a statement issued by the organisers, the judges felt the Scottish Daily Mail “blended the Scottish and national news agenda together extremely well”.
Added the organisers: “The paper was felt to offer readers staggeringly good feature writers, unparalleled women’s writing and the best sports coverage of any Scottish newspaper.”
And of Melanie Reid, she was described by judges as an “inspirational performer whose writing was outstanding, raw and real life”. Reid – a former Herald columnist and senior assistant editor and who pens ‘Spinal Column’ for The Times – earlier this month just missed out to fellow Times writer, Matthew Parris, in the Columnist of the Year category at the UK Press Awards.
Of Derek Tucker, the statement continued: “As one of the longest serving daily newspaper editors in recent times, he led The Press & Journal to become the third-highest circulating regional daily paper in the UK, behind his previous paper – the Express & Star in Wolverhampton.
“What cheered Derek the most about his tenure was Press & Journal campaigns for communities in the North and North East of Scotland. The newspaper has raised in the region of £10million, for good causes some of which has been donated to equip a new children’s hospital in Aberdeen.”
Arguably the most outstanding category winner was Scotland on Sunday’s Tom English, who took the Sports Feature Writer of the Year title for a fifth consecutive year.
The Scottish Daily Mail’s Jonathan Brocklebank, runner-up last year, was this year crowned Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year.
Reid was named Columnist of the Year, with the Sunday Herald’s Ian Bell named runner-up.
Scotsman Publications’ editor-in-chief John McLellan – in his capacity as chair of the editors’ committee at organisers, the Scottish Newspaper Society – is quoted, saying: “Some winners, like Melanie Reid, were clear cut and many others were very tough to call but I congratulate them all.”
The full winners’ and runners-up list reads:
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Robert Perry The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Ian Rutherford Scotsman Publications
Nominated: Rob Casey Daily Record and Sunday Mail
James Gunn Freelance
Tony Nicoletti Daily Record
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jeff Mitchell Getty Images
Runner-up: James Glossop The Times
Nominated: Steven MacDougall The Courier and Advertiser
Colin Mearns Herald & Times Group
Andrew Milligan Scottish Press Association
Phil Wilkinson Scotsman Publications
CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Brian Adcock Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Steven Camley The Herald/Sunday Herald
Nominated: Frank Boyle Edinburgh Evening News
Scott Clissold Scottish Sunday Express
Pete Davidson The Sunday Post
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Chris Watt Herald & Times Group
Runner-up: Ryan Crighton Press & Journal
Nominated: Lisa Boyle Ayrshire Post
Marc Deanie The Scottish Sun
Victoria Raimes Edinburgh Evening News
NEW MEDIA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Beverley Lyons Daily Record
Runner-up: Jasper Hamill The Herald/ Evening Times
Nominated: Deborah Anderson The Evening Times
John Dingwall Daily Record
James Doleman Sheridantrial Blog
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Paul Breen Highland News
Runner-up: Mike Collins The Northern Scot
Nominated: Allan Crow Fife Free Press
Colin Hume The Falkirk Herald
Phil Riddle The Shetland Times
Robert Taylor The Inverness Courier
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Brian Beacom The Herald
Runner-up: Phil Miller The Herald
Nominated: Beverley Lyons Daily Record
Brian McIver Daily Record
David Robinson The Scotsman
MAGAZINE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Peter Ross Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Catherine Deveney Scotland on Sunday
Nominated: Adam Forrest The Big Issue in Scotland
Chitra Ramaswamy Scotsman Publications
Aidan Smith The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday
POLITICAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Eddie Barnes The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Tom Gordon Sunday Herald
Nominated: David Maddox The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday
Andrew Nicoll The Scottish Sun
Alan Roden Scottish Daily Mail
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Melanie Reid The Times – Scotland
Runner-up: Ian Bell Sunday Herald
Nominated: Tam Cowan Daily Record
Bill Jamieson The Scotsman
Bill Leckie The Scottish Sun
FINANCIAL/BUSINESS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Ian McConnell The Herald/Sunday Herald
Runner-up: Kenny Kemp Sunday Herald
Nominated: Erikka Askeland The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday
Tim Sharp The Herald
NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jonathan Brocklebank Scottish Daily Mail
Runner-up: Peter Ross Scotland on Sunday
Nominated: Annie Brown Daily Record
Hector MacKenzie Ross-shire Journal
Edd McCracken Sunday Herald
Vicky Allan Herald & Times Group
SPORTS FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Tom English Scotland on Sunday
Runner-up: Bill Leckie The Scottish Sun
Nominated: Douglas Alexander Sunday Times Scotland
Bryan Cooney Sunday Herald
David McCarthy Daily Record
SPORTS NEWS WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Mark Guidi Sunday Mail
Runner-up: Keith Jackson Daily Record
Nominated: Robert Grieve The Scottish Sun
Roger Hannah The Scottish Sun
Darrell King Evening Times
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Going Nowhere, Scottish Daily Mail
Runner-up: Apocalypse Snow, The Scottish Sun
Nominated: Executed by the Taliban, Scottish Mail on Sunday
Firestorm, Evening Telegraph
Feckless, Daily Record
JOURNALIST TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Adam Morris Edinburgh Evening News
Runner-up: Lachlan MacKinnon Daily Record
Nominated: Kenny Angove The Scottish Sun
Sarah Bruce Scottish Daily Mail
Tom Gordon and Paul Hutcheon Sunday Herald/The Herald
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Winner: Save RAF Lossiemouth, The Northern Scot
Runner-up: Glas-goals health campaign, Evening Times
Nominated: Dee Campaign, Evening Telegraph
Save the IRH tea bar, Greenock Telegraph
Movember health campaign, The Scottish Sun
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Winner: Donna MacAllister The Press & Journal Ambulance driver refused 999 call while on tea-break
Runner-up: Mark Guidi Sunday Mail We lied to Lenny
Nominated: Eddie Barnes The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday Council was set to reveal Steven Purcell drugs problem
Graham Grant Scottish Daily Mail Police dig at serial killer’s house
Paul Hutcheon Sunday Herald/The Herald Stressed city leader Purcell to stand down
REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Mark Macaskill The Sunday Times Scotland
Runner-up: Annie Brown Daily Record
Nominated: Lynn McPherson Sunday Mail
David Pratt Sunday Herald/The Herald
Stephen Stewart Sunday Mail
