John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier’s Highland News & Media stablemates The Inverness Courier and The Northern Scot win six titles in the Highlands and Islands News & Media Awards; there was also a moving win for late, great Inverness Courier and Press & Journal reporter Neil MacPhail
The John O’Groat Journal and The Caithness Courier’s parent company has much to celebrate after its titles recorded six wins in the annual Highlands and Islands Press Ball and Media Awards.
In all, Highland News & Media picked up six separate awards during the glittering ceremony in the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness on Friday night.
The Inverness Courier picked up three separate awards, and there was also a moving win for the late, great Inverness Courier and Press & Journal reporter Neil MacPhail, who sadly passed away in November after five decades of fine work in the industry.
The Inverness Courier's wins, meanwhile, saw it retain its local website of the year title after winning that award for the second year in a row, while reporters Val Sweeney and Annabelle Gauntlett won the feature writer of the year and young journalist of the year honour respectively.
The Northern Scot, which is based in Elgin, also won big on the night - picking up three separate awards, including the coveted title of newspaper of the year. And Lewis McBlane and Daniel Forsyth won the reporter of the year and photographer of the year awards respectively.
Elsewhere, former BBC and MFR journalist Jackie O’Brien received this year’s Barron Trophy in recognition of outstanding journalism achievements in the Highlands and Islands. Fios, meanwhile, was named community newspaper of the year, Peter Ranscombe of the Press & Journal won the business award, the West Highland Free Press' John White secured the environment and sustainability honour, Shona MacDonald of the BBC was named Gaelic writer of the year, Eric MacKinnon of the Stornoway Gazette was named sports reporter of the year, and the West Highland Free Press received the campaign of the year title.
