‘Exceeding all expectations’ is how the judges described the Ulster Herald and WeAreTyrone when they announced them as ‘Northern Ireland Regional Media Outlet of the Year’ at a prestigious awards ceremony
on Friday night (March 15).

Taking place in the Mac in Belfast, the ‘Ulster Bank CIPR NI Media Awards 2024’ acknowledges the outstanding work of media professionals in Northern Ireland. Head judge of the awards was Michael
Crick, a journalist for more than 40 years.

In a statement, the judges praised the ongoing success of the news publication. “The ‘We are Tyrone’ branding of the newspapers, the UH, the TyroneHerald, and the Strabane Chronicle, has been a proven success, and their entry in this category exceeds all expectations,” the judges stated. “The individual newspaper entries comprise a high standard of ideas and writing, but it is in their collaboration in the production of a documentary to commemorate the Omagh bomb 25 years ago, that they truly excel.

“This is the side of an atrocity that we rarely hear about; the affect on the lives of those who lived through the event. “The documentary is ethical and empathetic, and, importantly, cuts the explanations to a minimum; just leaving those who were there and who suffered to tell their own stories. “This is a superb piece of journalism.”

BRIGHT TALENT
Our reporter, Callum McGuigan, also won the coveted ‘Student Journalist of the Year Award’.Leona O’Neill, head of Undergraduate Journalism at Ulster University, the organisation that sponsored the award,  described Callum as a ‘bright young talent’.

“The CIPR NI Media Awards are a pivotal platform for acknowledging excellence in journalism,” she said. “I was delighted to hand over the ‘Student Journalist of the Year award to the bright young talent that is Callum McGuigan,” she said. “Educating, nurturing and championing young journalists is what we at Ulster University do best, and through sponsoring this award we were able to shine a light on the future stars of the industry.

“Callum faced extremely tough competition in his category, and his outstanding work really shone. “He demonstrated dedication, skill, and passion in his craft and I have no doubt that he has a vibrant, exciting future ahead of him. I’m excited to see what he does next.”

• In total, the UlsterHerald and WeAreTyrone were shortlisted for six awards:
  ‘Northern Ireland Regional Media Outlet of the Year’ (winner);
• ‘Regional Reporterof the Year’ (Emmet McElhatton – finalist);
• ‘Newcomer of the Year’ (Niamh McGovern –finalist);
• ‘Student Journalistof the Year’ (Callum McGuigan –
  winner),
• ‘Podcast of the Year’;
• ‘MediaOutlet of the Year’ (winner),

Our publication, Gaelic Life, was a finalist in the ‘Media Outlet of the Year –Print/Digital’ category.

‘A GREAT HONOUR’

Editor, Nigel McDonagh, said that the awards and nominations were ‘a great honour’, and reflects the hard work and dedication from staff to produce high quality local news content across our print and digital platforms.

“Our newspapers are still performing strongly, and we are continuing to develop our online journalism with WeAreTyrone,” he said. “Winning the ‘Regional Media Outlet of the Year’ award will inspire us to keep working hard to produce the best local news content for our readers and subscribers.

“I’m also delighted for Callum, who has shown tremendous initiative and enthusiasm since joining our team,” Nigel continued. “He fully deserves his ‘Stu dent Journalist of the Year’ award and is set for a great career in the media industry.”

The UlsterHerald and WeAreTyrone are also nominated for ‘Regional News Brand of the Year’ and ‘Supplement of the Year’ at the UK press awards in London in April 2024.