The fantastic Salford Star came runner-up in this year’s Paul Foot award – a prize for the country’s finest investigative and campaigning journalism. This is the second time the Star has come close to the prize – last year it appeared on the long-list.
In the words of industry journal, Press Gazette: “The final nomination was for the Salford Star publication, a free magazine for Salfordians which the judges said had ‘so irritated’ Salford Council for its ‘dogged and proactive approach’ that the Council blocked its funding applications and removed minutes from its website to stop the Star reporting on council decisions.”
The winner was announced yesterday – the prize was given to David Leigh and Rob Evans, of The Guardian, who exposed the issue of bribery within the British arms industry, notably BAE.
I think it’s a shame more regional papers don’t do proper investigations anymore but staff cuts mean most reporters feel like they’re virtually chained to their desks, churning out press releases. Isn’t that what the media is there for: holding those in power to account?
And then I sometimes wonder about the issue of self-censorship – after all a lot of local papers rely on councils, statutory bodies and big companies for advertising…for some, this could be a compelling reason not to dig too deeply. It’s may just be easier to play it safe.