Business Post takes home five prizes at Justice Media Awards
Our reporters win in Sunday journalism and podcast categories, with three certificates of merit awarded
The Business Post has won five awards at this year’s Law Society of Ireland’s Justice Media Awards.
The Sunday journalism and podcast categories of the awards were won by the paper, while three merit certificates were awarded to Business Post journalists.
Peter O’Dwyer took home the award for Sunday print/online journalism for his work on cases taken by pubs against FBD over business interruption policies.
“This was an in-depth examination of the issues surrounding this crucially important business interruption test case. The scale of legal content and the impressive dissection of legal arguments in the case stood out,” the judges said of O’Dwyer’s work.
Barry J Whyte and Catherine Sanz also both received a certificate of merit in this category.
Whyte’s reporting on paedophile hunters was praised by the judges for offering a “comprehensive and measured report with good legal content examining how the actions taken by civilians could risk a case and a viable prosecution”.
Sanz’s work on victims in the criminal justice system was said by the judges to have covered “important issues in simple and relatable terms”.
Sanz’s hosting, alongside barristers Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham, as well as Nadine O’Regan’s and Carolyn Goulden’s production of the Law on Trial legal podcast, took the top prize in the podcast category.
Another certificate of merit was awarded to Sarah Taaffe-Maguire in the inaugural environmental/climate justice reporting category. Her reporting covered how electricity providers sell ‘100 per cent renewable’ electricity from fossil fuel. “This skilled journalist answered important questions in a helpful and digestible way, including analysing why the cost of energy is going up,” the judges said.
The overall category was won by The Irish Times for the reporting of Mary Carolan and Simon Carswell on the District Court system.
This year’s awards ceremony was the first in-person event since 2019, having been held remotely throughout the pandemic.
