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Regional writers rewarded for investigative journalism work

Two regional press journalists have been awarded £1,000 each after being named runners-up for an award for investigative and campaigning journalism.

Jeni Harvey from The Middleton Guardian and Liam McDougall from The Sunday Herald were two of seven finalists for this year’s Paul Foot Award, organised by Private Eye and The Guardian.

In a citation on behalf of the judges, their chairman – the ex-Mirror editor Richard Stott – said Jeni’s work was “local newspaper journalism at its most dynamic and courageous”.

He said: “The appalling injustice of the Rochdale satanic child abuse affair was one of the longest running and under reported scandals of the past two decades.

“Rochdale Council called on the full weight of the law to prevent the extent of the injustice and the highly dubious practices of its social service department being exposed to public scrutiny.

“By refusing to let the scandal rest, challenging court orders and using the Freedom of Information Act to good effect, Jeni Harvey and the Middleton Guardian ensured this outrage would not be covered up, eventually co-operating with the BBC in a documentary, as well as finally exposing in the Middleton Guardian the full horror of a despicable affair the council was determined to keep secret.”

There was also high praise for Liam, whose investigation resulted in an overhaul of the forensic science service in Scotland.

Richard said: “Dark allegations of malpractice among fingerprint experts in a 1997 murder case and attempts to cover it up were fiercely pursued by Liam McDougall and the Sunday Herald.

“This was big city crime reporting of apparent malpractices probed relentlessly by a reporter who wouldn’t take no for an answer, right up Foot’s street.”

The award was set up in memory of former Private Eye, Daily Mirror and Guardian journalist Paul Foot, who was known for his left-wing politics and campaigns against miscarriages of justice. He died in 2004 aged 66.

The overall winner was David Harrison from the Sunday Telegraph, who scooped the award for his “tireless and often perilous” investigation into sex trafficking in Eastern Europe. He received prize money of £5,000.

The judges were Richard Stott, Ian Hislop, Alan Rusbridger, Bill Hagerty, Clare Fermont, Jeremy Dear and Richard Ingrams.