News reporters are recognised for top achievements
Tom and Neil pick up awards
TOP journalists at The News
have been recognised with awards.
Defence correspondent Tom Cotterill and chief sports writer Neil Allen both picked up gongs at the JPI Media Awards.
The competition saw News
reporters pit their entries against those from other JPIMedia-owned titles, including The Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Star and The Scotsman.
Tom was named News Journalist of the Year, and Neil was named Sports Journalist of the Year.
Editor Mark Waldron praised the pair and said: ‘These accolades are just reward for the fantastic work put in every day by Tom and Neil. We are proud that, as a paper based in the home of the Royal Navy, we have in Tom retained the post of defence correspondent and as chief sports writer Neil provides unrivalled coverage of Pompey.
‘Their most important judges will always be our readers but it is great that their talents have been recognised as the best of the best at JPIMedia.’
Tom became The News’s
defence correspondent in September 2015.
Since then he has covered deployments overseas, helped spearhead a campaign to tackle Britain's veteran suicide epidemic and covered
countless naval homecomings and breaking news stories.
The 31-year-old, said: 'I couldn't believe it when I heard my name being called out. It was an incredible feeling. I was nominated last year but didn't quite make it. So to have finally bagged the title, against such stiff competition, is overwhelming.'
Judges highlighted Tom's body of work for 2019, which included producing two, 40-page supplements marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day and historic maiden arrival of HMS Prince of Wales into Portsmouth.
In October he joined the Royal Navy in the Gulf during the height of the tensions with Iran and was the only British journalist invited to join the HMS Queen Elizabeth during her latest phase of training off the east coast of America last year. Tom
secured a world exclusive at the end of last year revealing how a rumour the Queen had died had sparked from a military exercise carried out at a Royal Navy base.
Neil was named JPI Media’s Sports Journalist of the Year, completing a hat-trick of honours this year.
He was also named 2019 Regional Sports Journalist of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards and 2019 Regional Sports Journalist of the Year (Daily Papers) at the Regional Press Awards.
The entries which earned praise included an emotional interview with retired footballer Lee Smith, a victim of abuse at the hands of former Southampton coach Bob Higgins.
Another was the story of Kev McCormack, Pompey’s long-serving kitman who remains Wales’ greatest
amateur boxer, fighting in three Commonwealth Games and whose ABA heavyweight title was later won by Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dereck Chisora.
Neil said: ‘This award is recognition of The News sports desk’s ongoing commitment to bring the very best coverage to our readers.
‘Even during lockdown, with no football to report on, our Pompey story count did not dip as we strive to continue bringing quality as well as quantity to our sports section.’
Former News reporter James Butler, who now works at our sister titles in Sussex, was handed Weekly Journalist of the Year.
He said: ‘Winning this award has been a massive morale boost during a difficult year and is a reminder of what a fun job I have.’