An editor has credited a trend of recruiting specialist reporters for a regional daily’s nomination for a Europe-wide award.

The Belfast Telegraph has been shortlisted in the Best News Website category at the European Digital Media Awards.

The shortlist for the 2021 award also includes the Bel Tel’s sister website Independent.ie and Norway’s largest media organisation NRK.

In May 2020, the Bel Tel launched a new paywall and recorded 4,100 subscribers in a year.

Editor-in-chief Eoin Brannigan, pictured, said: “This nomination is great recognition for all the team’s hard work over the past 18 months as we transformed into a digital-first newsroom.

“As well as covering the local, national and international issues that matter to our readers, we’ve invested in talent as we believe that quality journalism is worth paying for.

“To this end we reversed the trend of the past 15 years and began recruiting specialist correspondents, for example in health, education, entertainment and crime.”