Tag Archives: The Northern Standard

GAJ AWARDS 2020

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Investigation into Larry Goodman’s €4bn business empire wins 2020 Guild of Agricultural Journalism awards

Agri Guild Awards were hosted by RTE Broadcaster Damien O’Reilly and Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Amy Forde

The Guild of Agricultural Journalists in Ireland has announced the overall winner of the 2020 Guild of Agricultural Journalism Awards went to Lorcan Allen and Hannah Quinn-Mulligan from the farming newspaper the Irish Farmer’s Journal for ‘Larry Goodman’s finances’, a three-week investigative series which ran in July 2020. The feature series explored the corporate structures behind ABP Food Group. The investigation was the first time detailed financial information on the profits, asset values and corporate structure within the ABP Group was published in the public domain in Ireland and was selected by an independent judging panel of industry and media experts as the overall winner from a shortlist of thirty entries.
Commenting on the winning entry, chair of the judging panel Johnny O’Hanlon, Director of Local Ireland said: “While this has been an extraordinarily difficult year, it certainly didn’t deter the enthusiasm of journalists and industry communicators, judging by the volume of entries received across all categories and that the judges were struck by the high categories of entries across the categories. On this year’s judging panel, I was joined by Professor Karina Pierce (Enterprise Ireland), Anna Marie McHugh (National Ploughing Association), Richard Wright (former BBC NI agriculture correspondent) and Declan Malone, former editor of The Kerryman. We enjoyed plenty of lively discussion and debate to reach agreement on the shortlist of entries across each of the categories. Indeed, the liveliness intensified when it came to agreeing the category winners and reached a crescendo when it came to the arduous decision of who would be awarded the prestigious and much coveted Bull.

‘The Bull’ trophy for the overall winner of the 2020 GAJ Awards

The awards which are held every two years and supported by FBD Insurance aim to encourage excellence in the coverage of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland. Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Amy Forde said: “As Chair of the southern section I was delighted to see over 200 entries for this year’s awards, with best news article and best feature article attracting almost ninety entries between them. To reflect the year, we also introduced two new categories – best COVID reporting and best COVID communications – acknowledging how we as communicators had a very important role to play. Rising Star is another new category which was added as the Guild wished to recognise those that will take the industry forward.”

“We are incredibly grateful to our judging panel who had a mammoth task in both selecting the shortlist and the overall winners. I would like to thank FBD for thier support once again, I would like to commend all of those who entered our awards for doing your part in encouraging healthy competition and promoting excellence in the reporting of agricultural and rural issues year round.”
 
John Cahalan, Chief Sales Officer, FBD Insurance plc added, ““I’m delighted to virtually support and celebrate the 2020 Guild of Agricultural Journalism awards. FBD is proud of our longstanding relationship and sponsorship of this event, which celebrates excellence in agricultural journalism. In a world with so much information and misinformation surrounding us on a daily basis, never before has there been a greater need to support, recognise and reward quality journalism. It is very positive to note, with the high number of submissions, that this competition continues to go from strength to strength.”

The awards also featured an address by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, “To be recognised by your peers as being the best in any field is something that professionals strive for their entire career but only a few can achieve. To win an award of this nature is a tremendous achievement.

“I am heartened by the state of the agricultural media at present – storytelling is needed more than ever and to have such a depth of talent in the sector can only be good for us as consumers of media. I congratulate all involved in the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Awards 2020 and I extend a special word of note to all the winners.”

The overall winners in each category were:

Best news article
Over 28,000ac of farmland controlled by vulture funds – Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers Journal

Best visual report
Cashel Mart – Paula Williams & Helen Carroll, Indiepics – Ear to the Ground

Best feature article
Larry Goodman’s finances – a three-week investigative series – Lorcan Allen & Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers Journal

Best audio report            
Potato harvest – Fran McNulty, RTÉ

Best technical article
Natural capital – Odile Evans, Irish Farmers Journal

Best COVID reporting 
COVID-19 virus knows no borders – Michael Fisher, The Northern Standard

Best targeted campaign
ABP Angus youth challenge Northern Ireland – MF Communication


Best COVID communications
Certified Irish Angus repositioning campaign in the year of COVID – Gemma Smyth Communications

Best photograph
Wild Atlantic – Valerie O’Sullivan

Rising Star
Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers Journal

COVID-19 REPORTING AWARD

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Guild of Agricultural Journalists Award

I recently won the BEST COVID REPORTING award from the Guild of Agricultural Journalists for my reports in The Northern Standard Monaghan over six months from March until August.

March 26th 2020 p.1

These four front page stories out from the 100 or so I wrote about Covid during that time helped to win recognition from the judges for this once-off (hopefully!) award.

April 2nd 2020 p.1

Thank you to all who have helped me with their contributions to stories during that time including infectious diseases expert RCSI Professor Sam McConkey from Killeevan near Clones, one of the areas I cover.

One story covered exclusively by myself and the Standard’s photographer © Rory Geary was when the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris met his former PSNI colleague Chief Constable Simon Byrne on a Saturday morning at the Monaghan Tyrone border at Moybridge over the River Blackwater near Aughnacloy on the N2 A5 main road. They signed a memorandum of understanding on dealing with Covid-19 to co-ordinate their responses in both jurisdictions. Social distancing was observed in the pre-mask era.

27th August 2020 p.1

The fourth story I highlighted in my entry involved the controvesy over two elected members of Monaghan County Council who appeared to have contravened the Covid-19 guidelines by taking holidays abroad. In the case of Independent Cllr Paudge Connolly he became embroiled in the Golfgate dinner in Clifden, having attended as a member of the Oireachtas Golf Club which organised the annual golf tournament and function afterwards. It led to the resignation of Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary, EU Commissioner Phil Hogan and an investigation into the presence of newly appointed Supreme Court Judge Seamus Woulfe, a former Attorney General. The second was Councillor Cathy Bennett from Scotstown who went on a family vacation and on return went to her holiday home in Co. Donegal and exercised on the beach instead of staying in Co. Monaghan for two weeks of isolation. She lost the party whip for three months but it has since been restored.

Damien O’Reilly introduced the GAJ Awards from the RDS library in Dublin

Normally the awards would be presented at a black tie dinner sponsored by FBD Insurance. But this was not possible owing to Covid and the ceremony was held online.