And the winner is... The Private Eye Paul Foot Award for Investigative and Campaigning Journalism 2022 has been awarded to HANNAH AL-OTHMAN AND DAVID COLLINS, THE SUNDAY TIMES for their entry on The Murder of Agnes Wanjiru.
Richard Brooks and Nick Wallis were also presented with a special award on the night for their Private Eye Special Report on the Post Office scandal, which exposed one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice on record in the UK, appalling treatment of hundreds of working people and a web of deceit that stretched to the top of an historic British institution. The Special Report 'Justice Lost in the Post’ by Richard Brooks and Nick Wallis is free to download from the Private Eye website here.
This year saw the return of an in-person awards ceremony, after two years of holding the event online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was hosted at BAFTA by editor Ian Hislop.
The previous two Paul Foot Award winners from 2020 and 2021 were both presented with their awards in person on the night. The 2020 winner was Alexandra Heal, who took home the award for her campaign 'Nowhere to Turn’ which revealed how police forces close ranks when a domestic abuse complaint is made against one of their officers, leaving vulnerable women with no recourse to justice. The 2021 winner was Robert Smith and his team from the Financial Times, for their compelling report which documented David Cameron’s dubious role lobbying for financier Lex Greensill to have access to Treasury Covid relief schemes.
During the ceremony, Ian Hislop also paid tribute to Andrew Jennings, esteemed British investigative journalist who passed away at the beginning of this year.
Ian Hislop, the Editor of Private Eye, said: "A fantastic party where you had to Bring Your Own News. A post-Covid celebration of journalism at its best!"
Padraig Reidy, Chair of Judges, The Private Eye Paul Foot Award, said: "It's wonderful to honour the winners, and all the great reporting that made the shortlist. The judges are very happy to back a vote of confidence in British journalism."
A piece on the winner will run in print issue 1576 of Private Eye. Interviews with the winner and all the shortlist are available to listen to on the Private Eye Page 94 podcast here.
This year’s judging panel, chaired by Padraig Reidy, Little Atoms, was comprised of Julia Langdon, Political Journalist and Broadcaster; Sir Simon Jenkins, The Guardian; Helen Lewis, New Statesman; Francis Wheen, Private Eye; Matt Foot, criminal defence solicitor; Kim Sengupta, independent.co.uk; Janine Gibson, Financial Times; and Robert Smith, Financial Times, who won the 2021 Paul Foot Award.
Set up in memory of renowned journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004, the award honours the UK’s most brilliant, talented and determined journalists working in the fields of investigative and campaigning journalism today.
Queries
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Amelia Knight
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Email: amelia.knight@midaspr.co.uk
The Paul Foot Award was set up in memory of revered investigative journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004.
Paul Foot, an investigative journalist, editor and left-wing campaigner, worked variously for the Daily Record, the Daily Mirror, The Guardian and Private Eye. He was involved in many high-profile campaigns throughout his illustrious career, including the Birmingham Six, the Bridgewater Four and the John Poulson scandal. His accolades include the Journalist of the Year, the Campaigning Journalist of the Year, the George Orwell Prize for Journalism and in 2000 he was honoured as the Campaigning Journalist of the Decade.
Paul Foot died in 2004 at the age of 66.
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