Press wins top media award
The Press has been named newspaper of the year at the annual Voyager Media Awards, with the judges calling the Christchurch publication ‘‘vital’’.
Three of the paper’s photographers and one of its cartoonists also won prizes at the national awards ceremony in Auckland last night. The Press was named newspaper of the year in the circulation over 30,000 category, beating out The New Zealand Herald and Otago Daily Times.
The judges described The Press as ‘‘vital’’ and ‘‘very much alive and kicking, much like the city it serves’’.
‘‘At its best The Press brings a powerful sense of urgency, intimacy and immediacy to the job of informing its readers,’’ their notes read.
‘‘The editions submitted for judging displayed a real clarity of purpose in the reporting and presentation, a tangible expression of being with and for the community, though not in an uncritical way.’’ The judges were full of praise for
Press photographer Iain McGregor, who took home the photographer of the year award.
‘‘McGregor’s work stood out as the winner, with variety and a high level of skill shown in all photographs submitted. It was nice to see a mix of subjects, with the photographer showing he has the ability to capture winning images, no matter what the assignment.’’
Joseph Johnson won best news photography for his work during the Port Hills fires in February 2017.
‘‘Johnson’s fire images were both frightening and breathtaking from a horrifying event commonplace in California or Australia but seldom seen or captured in new Zealand,’’ the judges said.
Sharon Murdoch won cartoonist of the year for the third consecutive time.
‘‘Would it be possible to flip past these cartoons?’’ the judges asked.
‘‘We loved the wonderful expressions on the faces of Murdoch’s hapless subjects, her graphic skill, her use of line and colour, her wit, her seriousness, the intelligence of her ideas.
‘‘Here is a master of the genre, who can make you laugh out loud . . . or wince, or wonder.’’
Press Photographer George Heard was recognised in the best news video category for ‘‘a great example of news as it happens. A flash flood, a rescue and an interview with the survivors immediately afterwards. This story nailed it.’’
Adding to The Press’ success, Stuff was recognised as website of the year at the awards ceremony, sharing the title with Newsroom.