Down Recorder reporter is Journalist of the Year

Down Recorder reporter is Journalist of the Year

16 May 2012

DOWN Recorder journalist Ciara Colhoun has been voted best in Northern Ireland.

Ciara was named Weekly Journalist of the Year at the Northern Ireland Media Awards, organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, at the Europa Hotel on Friday night.

Her series of outstanding features on County Down people who have emigrated to Australia caught the eye of a distinguished panel of judges.

It was the second year running that the prestigious award went to a Recorder journalist. Joanne Fleming was the 2011 winner and was again shortlisted this year.

The Recorder also received a commendation for being shortlisted in the Weekly Newspaper of the Year category and there was another commendation for Hugh Carville, who was shortlisted in the Production Journalist of the Year category.

Ciara’s features on local people starting a new life in Australia opened with the emotional story of a Killough man who was devastated when his daughter emigrated with her young family to Melbourne.

Over the course of three weeks, Ciara also told of how Liatroim’s senior gaelic football team was decimated when 11 players joined the exodus Down Under.

Ciara tracked down a mother whose three sons had emigrated to get work in the lucrative mining industry in Western Australia.

She also gave readers a taste of the sometimes harsh reality of life in the Australia, in particular the high cost of living which was a shock to the pockets of many of the new arrivals.

The judges said Ciara’s features were “an original and highly engaging series, superbly researched and written, prompting good reader response. A compelling and revealing piece of thought-provoking journalism.”

Down Recorder editor Paul Symington said Ciara’s award was fully deserved and reflected the high journalistic standards at the Recorder.

“The judges were rightly impressed  with a series of well written and thoroughly researched stories,” he remarked.

“Ciara has shown exemplary professionalism throughout her career and I am delighted that she has been recognised in this manner.

“I would also like to congratulate Joanne Fleming and Hugh Carville on being shortlisted for awards. That the Recorder was also shortlisted for the Weekly Newspaper of the Year underlines the paper’s commitment to excellence and providing an unrivalled service to our readers.”

There was more local success when Killough man John Manley, who works for the Irish News, was named Environmental Journalist of the Year.