The Irish News was named Regional Newspaper of the Year at the 2024 Newspaper Awards in London yesterday. This accolade recognises The Irish News’ unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, community engagement, and innovation in the regional news landscape.
The Newspaper Awards, widely regarded as a benchmark of excellence within the industry, celebrate outstanding achievements and innovations across various aspects of newspaper publishing. Praising The Irish News, chairman of judges Gary Cullum, said: “With market leading daily sales of 25,000-plus, and fresh from a major rebranding initiative that judges loved, The Irish News is clearly in tune with its readers.”
In addition to this achievement, Chief Marketing Officer, Annette McManus, received high commendation in the Employee of the Year category, for her work on the rebranding of the newspaper in 2023. This rebrand revitalised the newspaper, solidifying its leading position in a fiercely competitive sector.
Furthermore, The Irish News’s sister company, Interpress, was honoured with the Regional News Printer of the Year Award, showcasing the excellence and dedication for the quality and consistency of printing. Judges commented on their ‘Outstanding clean, crisp, consistent world class printing quality’ which was ‘a unanimous top choice of all the judges’. The Impartial Reporter and Belfast Telegraph Weekend Edition won Local Weekly Newspaper and Regional Supplement/Magazine of the year respectively, both titles are printed at the Interpress printing facility.
In a message to readers, The Irish News Editor-In-Chief, Chris Sherrard remarked:
“The Newspaper Awards are rightly recognised as a prestigious and important occasion in our industry’s calendar and we’re absolutely delighted to have picked up some of the biggest awards of the night.
“Such recognition is testament to the continued endeavours and dedication of The Irish News team across all departments.
“We have worked hard to establish ourselves as the best-selling regional daily newspaper in the UK and Ireland but that is not something we take for granted and, so, the work continues every day to maintain the standards that have been set by my predecessor Noel Doran.
“I was also delighted to see richly-deserved recognition for Annette McManus and the work she carried out on the redesign of our paper which has been universally popular with readers.”
Speaking on the wins, Dominic Fitzpatrick, CEO, IntoMedia Group, owners of the Irish News, added: “In a competitive media industry, this success not only celebrates our achievements but also reaffirms our commitment to providing Irish News readers with the highest standards of news reporting and analysis.
“While we are developing a first-in-class digital model, we have invested heavily in our printed newspaper. It is core to our success. We will always strive to provide our readers with independent, high quality journalism, in all its forms.
“We are delighted to see Interpress win the Regional Printer of the Year award, a testament to the team’s dedication and excellence in print production. Their leadership in printing technology and innovation sets the standard for quality across the industry.
“Furthermore, Annette McManus’ highly commended achievement for Employee/Team of the Year category is a testament of her outstanding contributions, particularly her pivotal role in the rebrand of the Irish News. It reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire team in shaping the future of IntoMedia.
“These accolades underscore our ongoing commitment to investing in our company’s growth and development. By continually investing in technology, talent, and innovation, we aim to maintain our position as leaders in the media landscape, delivering exceptional content to our readers.”
