JOURNAL MEDIA PICKED up four awards at today’s Justice Media Awards, the longest-running media awards in the country, which recognise and reward excellence in legal journalism.

Reporters Michelle Hennessy, Lauren Boland, Jane Moore and Rónán Duffy from The Journal as well as Maria Delaney from Journal Media’s investigative platform Noteworthy picked up prizes. 

Hennessy and Delaney won in the Human Rights/Social Justice Reporting (print/online) category for their report: ‘Revolving door: Traveller women imprisoned for minor offences such as driving without tax’.

The judges said it highlighted the abuse of the law and the social impact this has on Travellers in the justice system, adding: “By giving a voice to a minority group within society, this is a textbook example of why this category is important. A top pick.”

• You can read the full article here >

Jane Moore, who joined the newsroom as a staff reporter last autumn, won the student journalism award alongside four former DCU colleagues – Carenza Rock, Kinga Piotrowska, Natasha Lynch and Shauna Ledwidge.

Their article - Two years on: Ireland is ‘failing to act in spirit’ of agreement to help women escaping domestic violence – was published in The Journal in March 2021 while the four were still at college.  

The judges said the four-month investigative article “focuses on the lack of refuge for women fleeing domestic violence in Ireland” and “is on par with any established professional quality journalism today”.

It clearly highlights how Ireland is worryingly contravening the Istanbul Convention, and is doing important work by highlighting this issue in the public domain.

• You can read the full article here >

Rónán Duffy received a merit award for his in-depth FactCheck: “Does Irish law allow for ‘gender-selection abortions’?”

And Lauren Boland, who has been part of the team at The Journal since 2020, was awarded ‘Newcomer of the year’. Boland, according to the judges, “has a clear talent for explaining legal concepts well” and “writes like a veteran”.

There were a record 277 entries this year across 15 award categories. Journal Media had 15 nominations in total.

The winners were announced at the contest’s first in-person awards ceremony since 2019 at the Law Society on Dublin’s Blackhall Place.