Financial Times wins newspaper of the year

The Financial Times was newspaper of the year at last night's British Press Awards and the Sun's Tom Newton Dunn was among the other big winners, collecting four prizes.

Paul Dacre, the editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers, was given the special award by events organiser Press Gazette, while London Evening Standard investigative reporter Andrew Gilligan was named journalist of the year.

The Sun won more awards than any other paper, taking home four - two individual prizes for Newton Dunn, and two more for its Help for Heroes campaign, in which he was a key player. The FT won three awards, as did the Guardian, including best newspaper website.

As well as the top prize of newspaper of the year, the FT's Philip Stevens was awarded political journalist of the year while Gillian Tett won business and finance journalist of the year.

Newton Dunn, the Sun's defence editor, went to the stage four times. He won scoop of the year for his story on the friendly fire killing of corporal Matty Hull and also won reporter of the year.

He also collected the Sun's two other prizes, the Cudlipp award for excellence in popular journalism and campaign of the year, both for its Help for Heroes series.

Gilligan won journalist of the year for his series of articles investigating misuse of public funds at the London Development Agency. He beat Nick Davies of the Guardian, Sun editor Rebekah Wade, Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times and the late Bill Deedes of the Daily Telegraph.

At the end of the night, the Press Gazette special award, presented only occasionally, was given to Dacre for his 18-year career as editor first at the Evening Standard and later at the Daily Mail and for overseeing the launch of Metro as editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers.

The Guardian won website of the year, while Ghaith Abdul-Ahad won foreign reporter of the year and Sean Smith won the new award, digital journalist of the year.

Steve Brook
The Guardian
April 9th