Chris Thornton, political correspondent of the Belfast Telegraph, was named Journalist of the Year and Daily News Journalist of the Year at the annual Northern Ireland Press and Broadcast Awards.

In a night of success for the Telegraph, the newspaper won three categories and was commended in three others at the Institute of Public Relations and BT awards ceremony in Belfast’s Europa Hotel.

The Belfast Telegraph Millennium Magazines were highly commended in the Trade/Specialist Publication of the Year category. The Telegraph was also commended for Daily Newspaper of the Year, which was won by the Sunday People.

Two Belfast Telegraph reporters were commended in separate categories – Darwin Templeton in the Daily News Journalist fo the Year and Maurice Neill in Business Journalist of the Year.

In their comments, the judges said Mr Thornton’s reporting was “balanced, but handled with sensitivity and courage” combining a great scoop with detail and research”.

In their comments on Mr Templeton, the panel referred to his security “scoop” on the Patten Report on policing last year, weeks before the Report was published.

Belfast Telegraph editor Edmund Curran said: “The newspaper has long been recognised for the quality and depth of its political coverage and Mr Thornton fully deserves his award.

“I am delighted that the newspaper’s breadth of coverage across a wide range of subjects has been recognised in a number of categories.”

Other awards went to:

• Daily Newspaper of the Year: Sunday People
• Weekly Newspaper of the Year: Mid Ulster Mail
• News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year: Insight, UTV
• E-Media of the Year: BBC Northern Ireland
• Weekly News Journalist of the Year: Victor Gordon, Portadown News
• Radio News Broadcaster of the Year: Mandy McAuley, BBC
• Television News Broadcaster of the Year: Mark Simpson, BBC
• Feature Writer of the Year: John Mullin, NI correspondent for The Guardian
• News Photographer of the Year: Cathal McNaughton for “Omagh tear”
• Sports Journalist of the Year: Terry McLaughlin, Sunday Independent
• Business Journalist of the Year: Carlton Baxter, Ulster Business
• BT/Society of Editors Newcomer of the Year: Tim Brannigan, Irish News
• Entertainment Journalist of the Year: Ivan Martin, Sunday World
• Environmental Journalist of the Year: Brian Black, UTV
• Trade/Specialist Publication of the Year: Northern Woman
  Highly commended: Belfast Telegraph Millennium magazine series
• Cameraman/crew of the Year: Tony McGann, GMTV

  Winners go through to the national BT-sponsored final in June.

  For the list of other regional finals around the UK click here

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