THE JOURNAL IS taking home two merit certificate wins in two separate categories at the Justice Media Awards (JMAs), hosted by the Law Society of Ireland.

The first win was given to The Journal reporter Órla Ryan in the category of Print/Online Journalism (Daily) for her series of articles and podcasts on Mother and Baby Homes and related legislation.

The judges called the series “a phenomenal piece of work” and said the question and answer format laid out by The Journal clearly explains issues, making the reports accessible.

Órla Ryan

The second award went to The Journal’s Christine Bohan, Aoife Barry, Nicky Ryan, and Sinéad O’Carroll in the category of Broadcast Journalism (Radio/Podcast – National).

The award was for their work on “Why has the Irish media been barred from reporting the names of children who have been murdered?”, which examined the law around Section 252 of the Children’s Act 2001.

(Clockwise from top left: Nicky Ryan, Aoife Barry, Christine Bohan and Sinead O'Carroll)

The judges called the report “well produced” and “powerful” and that it “explains clearly what happened in the Court of Appeal judgement, breaking down tricky legal arguments to be understood by a lay audience.”

The overall winner of the JMAs was Mark Horgan and Ciarán Cassidy’s Second Captains podcast production for BBC Sounds, ‘Where is George Gibney?’. Their podcast series looked in-depth at the circumstances and child abuse accusations surrounding swim coach, George Gibney.

Also taking home the award Human Rights/Social Justice Reporting was Elaine Loughlin, Aoife Moore, Neil Michael and Eoin English from the Irish Examiner, for their iconic front page, listing the names of those who died at the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home.

President of the Law Society of Ireland James Cahill said it is important to recognise reward and support excellence in legal journalism.

“Journalism that promotes a greater public understanding of the law, the legal system and specific legal issues is of immense value and this year’s awards recognise great examples,” he said.

He also noted that many of this year’s entries focussed on giving a voice to the victims of crime.

“There was also a strong focus on making the law accessible for ordinary citizens who are impacted by the law every day,” he also said. “This is legal journalism at its finest.”