FORA REPORTER PAUL O’Donoghue has been declared ‘upcoming journalist of the year’ at Ireland’s main awards for business journalism.

He was handed the prize at today’s UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School Business Journalist Awards ceremony.

O’Donoghue joined Fora ahead of its launch in late March having previously been a business reporter at the Irish Independent.

He was recognised for three articles published this year:

• A report on the tax affairs of US pharma giant Gilead Sciences, which revealed the company paid no tax on billion-euro Irish profits
• His news feature on the delays and false starts that have stalled the Cork Science Park project
• An interview with Brian Caulfield, the Irish partner at listed venture capital firm Draper Esprit

Cianan Brennan, a reporter with TheJournal.ie, was also shortlisted for the same award.

Other awards at the yearly ceremony went to Barry O’Halloran and Marie Boran from the Irish Times, for best business news story and technology reporter respectively, and the Sunday Business Post’s Stephen Kinsella and Barry White, for best commentator and business interview.

UTV Ireland’s Paul Colgan won best business feature, while RTÉ science and technology correspondent Will Goodbody took the prize for specialist business reporter.

The ‘outstanding achievement award’ went to Charlie Weston from the Irish Independent, who was recognised for his 30-year career as a business journalist in print and broadcast media. This year’s awards were sponsored by Eir.

Written by Peter Bodkin and posted on Fora.ie