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Death threat reporter praised as newspaper retains best in region title

by Paul Linford Published 05 Jul 2019

Stephanie_FinneganA journalist who received death threats after reporting on a child sex grooming ring was honoured last night as the annual O2 Media Awards were handed out.

Stephanie Finnegan, left,  of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner was named young print journalist of the year in the Yorkshire and Humber region as Reach plc sister title the Hull Daily Mail retained its daily newspaper of the year crown.

Judges praised the reporter’s courage in reporting on a child sex grooming ring, while receiving hate mail and death threats.

As previously reported on HTFP, Stephanie was issued with a panic alarm by her employers after receiving rape and death threats from online trolls.

Last night’s ceremony at Elland Road, home of Leeds United FC, also saw a special O2 Stand Out Award was presented to BBC journalist Sally Hurst.

Sally, who lost a leg to bone cancer in 2005 and was then diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, had helped others fighting the disease through inspirational story-telling, said O2 Awards judges.

All the winners from the O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber 2019

All the winners from the O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber 2019

The O2 Award for Best Writer went to Richard Blackledge of Sheffield daily The Star, with Helen Mead of the Bradford Telegraph and Argus crowned the region’s Best Columnist.

The Star also took home the Sports Journalist Print which went to Danny Hall.

Yorkshire based production company Air TV and weekly newspaper, the Rotherham Advertiser, were jointly named Best Team.

The Advertiser was praised for uniting religious communities across the town, following the attacks on mosques in New Zealand in which 50 people were killed.

Nicola Green, Director of Corporate Affairs at O2, said: “We’ve enjoyed another wonderful year looking back at the positive impact the Yorkshire media has on its communities.”It’s clear that the Yorkshire and Humber region has some of the most talented writers, broadcasters and filmmakers in the country.”The full list of winners was as follows.  Pictured of the winners can be seen here:

Emerging Talent

  • Sanchez Payne – BBC Radio Leeds

Highly Commended

  • Bek Homer – BBC Radio York
  • Fiona Mills – BBC Radio Humberside

News Reporter – Print

Highly Commended

  • Stephanie Finnegan – Huddersfield Daily Examiner
  • Dan Bean – The Press York
  • Richard Beecham – Yorkshire Evening Post

News Reporter – Broadcast

  • Kristian Johnson – Leeds Live

Highly Commended

  • Phillip Norton – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Spencer Stokes – BBC Yorkshire
  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire

Entertainment Programme

  • BBC Radio Leeds – Airplays

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio Sheffield – Bangers and Cash
  • BBC Yorkshire – The Lakes

News Programme

  • ITV Yorkshire – Claudia Lawrence Special

Highly Commended

  • BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire – Spice Zombies
  • BBC Look North – NHS 70

Best Documentary

  • Air TV – River Walks: The Nidd

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio York – There’s Nothing Like A Panto Dame
  • BBC Radio Sheffield/ BBC Radio York – The Emptiness Within
  • BBC TV Yorkshire – The Jews of Leeds

Best Writer

  • Richard Blackledge – The Star Sheffield

Highly Commended

Best Columnist

Radio Programme

  • BBC Radio Sheffield – The Naked Podcast

Highly Commended

  • Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire – Paid To Do Time
  • BBC Radio Sheffield/BBC Radio York – The Emptiness Within
  • BBC Radio Sheffield – Clinton Woods Interview

Community/Specialist Publication

  • Heritage Open Days – Hull Daily Mail

Highly Commended

  • Down Your Way – Dalesman Publishing
  • Armistice Day – The Press York
  • Dalesman – Dalesman Publishing

Television Journalist

  • Jamie Coulson – BBC Look North

Highly Commended

  • Emma Glasbey – BBC Look North
  • Luxmy Gopal – BBC Look North

Young Journalist – Broadcast

  • Jacob Tomlinson – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Otis Holmes – ITV Yorkshire
  • Elizabeth Baines – Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire
  • Katharine Walker – ITV Yorkshire

Young Journalist – Print

  • Stephanie Finnegan – Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Highly Commended

  • Alex Grove – Hull Daily Mail
  • Laura Drysdale – The Yorkshire Post

Sports Journalist – Broadcast

  • Rob Staton – BBC Radio Humberside

Highly Commended

  • Chris Dawkes – ITV Yorkshire
  • Simon Clark – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire

Sports Journalist – Print

  • Danny Hall – The Star Sheffield

Highly Commended

  • Rory Dollard – Press Association
  • Simon Parker – Bradford Telegraph & Argus
  • Philip Buckingham – Hull Daily Mail
  • Paul Davis – Rotherham Advertiser

Radio Journalist

  • Rosanna Austin – Bauer Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Astrid Quinn – Hallam FM
  • Charles Heslett – BBC Radio Leeds
  • David Harrison – BBC Radio Humberside
  • Elizabeth Baines – Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire

Newspapers of the Year

Highly Commended

  • Grimsby Telegraph
  • Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Visual Media – Moving Images

  • Mark Graham – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • David Rimmington – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Joe Bilton – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Visual Media – Photography

  • Stephen Garnett – Dalesman

Highly Commended

  • Jon Corken – Grimsby Telegraph
  • Tony Johnson – The Yorkshire Post
  • Charlotte Graham – Charlotte Graham Photography
  • Simon Hulme – The Yorkshire Post

Visual Media – Video Journalist

  • Katy Austin – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Highly Commended

  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire
  • Sal Saba – BBC Radio Sheffield
  • Jacob Tomlinson – BBC Yorkshire

 Most Memorable

  • Phillip Norton BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire – Cancer

Highly Commended

  • Huddersfield Daily Examiner – ‘Grooming’
  • ITV Yorkshire – We’re In The Money
  • Hull Daily Mail – The Hunt for Libby Squire

Social & On-Line Media

  • ITV Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Hull Live
  • Leeds Live
  • Grimsby Live

Best Teams

  • Air TV
  • Rotherham Advertiser

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio Leeds
  • Hull Daily Mail

Community Award

  • Viking FM & Hull Daily Mail – No More Knives

Highly Commended

Radio Presenter

  • Kat Cowan – BBC Radio Sheffield

Highly Commended

  • Sam Dilcock – BBC Radio York
  • Gayle Lofthouse – BBC Radio Leeds

TV Presenter

  • Owain Wyn Evans – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Duncan Wood – ITV Yorkshire
  • Peter Levy – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Tim Iredale – BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Factual Programme/Series

  • Daisybeck Studios – Made In Britain

Highly Commended

  • Duncan Wood – ITV Yorkshire
  • Peter Levy – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Tim Iredale – BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Factual Programme/Series

  • Daisybeck Studios – Made In Britain
  • BBC Yorkshire – Inside Out Rail Special

Highly Commended

  • Daisybeck Studios – The Yorkshire Vet
  • Air TV – Helicopter ER

O2 Stand Out Awards

  • Sally Hurst – BBC Yorkshire
  • Dalesman
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