The Sun crowned newspaper of the year and wins gong for best scoop for groundbreaking Huw Edwards investigation
THE Sun was crowned newspaper of the year today in recognition of our agenda-setting journalism.
We also won Best Scoop for our groundbreaking 18-month investigation into shamed BBC presenter Huw Edwards, who paid tens of thousands of pounds to a vulnerable young man in return for sexual images.
Chief Sunday Reporter Scarlet Howes, who led our coverage of the Edwards’ scandal, was also Highly Commended as Best Reporter in the London Press Club awards yesterday.
Last year we revealed how a BBC presenter had paid a 17-year-old with a drug dependency in exchange for explicit pictures.
Then suspended from his role at the publicly-funded broadcaster, Edwards was named as the subject of our story by his wife as he sought treatment for mental health issues.
The teenager’s parents had complained to the BBC over concern for their vulnerable son but the organisation had failed to act on it.
Our story made headlines around the world with some directing criticism at The Sun – but we stood firm and defended our journalism and the importance of giving a voice to the parents at the centre of the scandal.
In July of this year Edwards, 63, was charged for making indecent images of children as young as seven, with six in the worst category.
Last month he was sentenced to a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years for the horrific crimes, a staggering fall from grace for the man who announced the death of the Queen to the nation.
At the prestigious awards, The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson was also nominated for Multimedia Journalist of the Year for our new show The Royal Exclusive.
Defence Editor Jerome Starkey was nominated for the Cudlipp Award for investigative journalism for his scoop on a chief constable who had lied about his war record.
Chief Political Correspondent Jack Elsom was nominated for Political Journalist of The Year.
Accepting the Best Newspaper award at a ceremony in central London today, Sun Editor Victoria Newton said: “I just want to echo really what Scarlet Howes said earlier, Rupert Murdoch always instils in me that the most important thing to do as Sun Editor is to give a voice to the voiceless.
“I think that’s what we tried to do with the Huw Edwards story against massive opposition.
“Freedom of speech is something that I hope we all continue to fight for in this room and most importantly I want to say an incredible thank you to my brilliant brilliant Sun team, I couldn’t have done any of it without them, they are magnificent.”
She added: “From showbiz and sport, to politics and campaigns, no other news brand has broken more exclusives than the Sun this year, or done more to set the news agenda.
“I am especially proud of the work we have done to hold the powerful to account, and to give a voice to the voiceless.
“This was true of our revelations on Huw Edwards, in particular, but also of countless other public interest stories.
“I am grateful to a brilliant, hard working team which is passionate about press freedom.
“Most of all, I would like to thank our fantastic and loyal readers, who we are here to entertain and serve.
“They are – and will always be – at the heart of everything we do.”
Scarlet said: “This story has always been about giving a voice to two desperate parents who were time and time again not listened to. They bravely spoke out about one of the most powerful men at the BBC.
“It’s been an incredibly tough journey as we all know but we never faltered. We knew our story was right. Their accounts never changed and neither did our evidence. I am so proud to work amongst such incredible journalists. Their doggedness in holding power to account, particularly my Editor-in-Chief Victoria and Ben O’Driscoll, is inspiring.
“I know the parents will be delighted with this as they will see it as a sign that they have finally been listened to and their claims validated. I would like to thank them for trusting us with the responsibility of such a powerful story.”