Who should run the British Press awards Press Gazette was bought last week by Progressive Media, the group run by the millionaire Mike Danson.
However, Press Gazette’s current owners, the Wilmington Group, will retain control of the highly lucrative annual British Press awards, which have been run by the owners of Press Gazette for around 20 years, since Robert Maxwell’s Mirror Group ended its association. Jean Morgan former chief reporter, Press Gazette I think the press awards should go with the magazine, whoever is publishing it, that’s where it belongs. They were not always seen as a way of making money you know, the former owners of Press Gazette, Benns, only took them on when the Mirror under Robert Maxwell withdrew. Journalists are very anxious to take part and I know, because I was a judge for seven years, that they are very fairly judged, and they come up with good, non-partisan decisions. There are no other awards like them. I do wonder, though, if Mike Danson has a death wish – now he’s got two loss-making magazines on his hands. Quentin Letts columnist, Daily Mail It seems a touch unsporting if Wilmington want to hang on to the lucrative press awards having murdered poor old Press Gazette. Perhaps they could graciously step aside and let someone else have a turn. How about letting the British Journalism Review try to run the show The BJR has a threadbare crew so it might need some help on the clerical side, but it is a well-regarded publication, admirably devoid of corporate swank, is run by comparatively unbitter, superannuated hacks and is uninfected by partisan connections to any one newspaper group. How about a consortium of titles funding more modest awards and reclaiming expenses before donating any profit to the Journalists’ Charity Christopher Meyer ex-chairman, Press Complaints Commission When I’ve attended the press awards I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. They are incredible piss-ups, and there’s lots of incredibly bad behaviour. There should be an awards ceremony like this because it is good for morale, it helps to keep up standards.
I have seen in my time at the PCC how fragmented the newspaper industry is, how riven it is with rivalries, and between the online and print sides, and it is incredibly hard to get everyone together. I can’t offer a view on who should be organising it, I just know it needs to continue and be run in a non-partisan way.