Media awards 2012
These awards are given to the best television programmes, radio shows and newspapers that people have nominated over the year, at a national and regional level. Our judges consider how well entrants have used plain English, and how successfully and passionately they have fought gobbledygook.
The closing date for entries for the 2013 awards is 29 October 2013. We will contact the winners in November.
Below are the winners for 2012.
The International Media Award: The New York Times
The New York Times cemented its reputation in 2012 as the best newspaper outside the UK, offering a fantastic blend of news and culture, business and sport. It’s an inclusive, entertaining and brilliantly written daily source of news, with clear and effective headlines and stories, and always seems to operate without as much of an agenda as its competitors. It’s a thoroughly deserving recipient of this year’s International Media Award.
Best national newspaper: The Guardian
The Guardian is still the standard bearer for capturing and defending the voice of the marginalised and has continued to do that with the best, clearest and most informative coverage.
Best regional newspaper: Worcester News
With a great layout, good writing style and an overall standard of clear, attractive news stories, The Worcester News is a great little paper and is invaluable to a lot of people in the local community.
Best national radio programme: BBC 6 Music
6Music is still simply far and away the best music radio station around, with broad, contemporary content and presenters, Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne in particular, that appeal to and are accessible to all ages.
Best regional radio: BBC Humberside (Betty and Beryl)
The Betty & Beryl show consists of two 80+ ladies offering their own brand of down to earth chat, which might sound gimmicky or insubstantial, but is in fact a wonderfully genuine example of a radio show at a time when media seems more and more polished, pre-prepared, insincere and hollow.
Best national television : The BBC (Olympics coverage)
The BBC tend to get things like this right but their coverage of our home Olympics was fantastic, as everyone saw, and included a great opening ceremony from Danny Boyle.
Best regional television programme: BBC Northern Ireland (Newsline)
There was a potentially troubling change for the show with it moving from two to one presenters but the show actually improved and is clearly the best regional news show.
Best Podcast: Sam Tannenhaus/ Jocelyn Gonzalez
Jocelyn Gonzalez and Sam Tannenhaus are the deserved winners for their New York Times Book Review podcast, which offers an unrivalled, stylish and accessible weekly run-down of book releases.
