30 To Watch Young Journalist Awards 2021 30 TO WATCH: YOUNG JOURNALIST AWARDS 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards A year like no other Foreword Keith Gladdis Director – Media ENGINE MHP + Mischief For young journalists wanting to This is the tenth year of the 30 To Watch awards and make their way in the news industry their growing stature in the media industry is reflected the stakes have never been higher. in the record number of entries. Four hundred young journalists from titles ranging from A global pandemic means there is an insatiable The Wall Street Journal to PopSugar submitted entries appetite for high quality, in depth news. of an extraordinarily high standard across the board. But holding the government to account, testing the This made the task of the judging panel, chaired by economic impact of Covid-19 or challenging the head of the Cardiff School of Journalism Richard misinformation of the anti-vaxxers is difficult when Sambrook, particularly tough. reporting in isolation under lockdown. One trait stood out in the journalism of all our Elsewhere there has been a conveyor belt of winners, bravery. polarizing stories for them to contend with ranging The bravery to hold powerful people to account, from Trump, Black Lives Matter, Brexit and of course, to challenge stereotypes, to pursue unfashionable Harry and Meghan. stories and to speak for those without a voice. All this under the intense glare of social media where We saw powerful journalism on issues ranging from a young reporter can soon become the subject of the sexual abuse, police corruption, the migrant crisis, story, as our brilliant 2020 Gold winner Nadine White bereavement in the young and the care of the elderly. experienced when she asked a simple question of a government minister. This is journalism with a real-world impact, many of these stories have led to changes in our society. Meanwhile the traditional business model for the industry is falling apart with a collapse in advertising The extraordinary lengths young journalists will go to in revenue both in print and online leading to news titles the pursuit of the truth, even with the restrictions of the closing and swathes of job losses. pandemic is a clear indication of the talent on display. The fact that this year’s entrants for the MHP + Now, as the UK emerges from lockdown we need to Mischief 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards have understand the impact working in the pandemic has so successfully negotiated the difficulties of lockdown had on our young journalists. and carried on working to such a high standard is a testament to their professionalism and hard work. The buzz of the newsroom has been lost to the isolation of working alone. Meeting people in person has been lost to endless Zoom calls or direct messaging on social media. 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards External judges Richard Sambrook Polly Curtis Emeritus Professor Managing Director One thing that immediately Cardiff University’s School of PA Media Journalism, Media and Culture Polly is Managing Director at PA Media. She spent the struck me upon reading the Richard is Emeritus Professor at Cardiff first 16 years of her career at The Guardian, reporting University’s School of Journalism, Media and on education, health, social affairs, and serving as the Culture. Previously he was a journalist at the BBC paper’s Whitehall Correspondent, working as part of entries was, I can’t believe for thirty years culminating in a decade in the the lobby covering politics and government through Board of Management as, successively, Director the 2010 election. She was a News Editor and then of Sport, Director of News and Director of Global Digital Editor at The Guardian. these people are under 30. News and the World Service. His research interests include mis and disinformation, digital Polly left The Guardian to become Director of Media media and international Newsgathering. He is also at the British Red Cross, before being lured back to I see so many of these by- a board member of the Bureau for Investigative journalism to edit HuffPost in the UK as well as Editor Journalism, Chair of The Frontline Club and Chair and Partner at Tortoise Media, the slow news start-up. lines every day across the of DMA Media group. Kate McCann Anne Alexander Political Correspondent internet and in print and Senior Political Producer Sky ITV Good Morning Britain Kate is a Political Correspondent based in Westminster, they have some absolute Anne is the Senior Political Producer for ITV’s Good delivering analysis, breaking news and exclusive stories. Morning Britain, in charge of the programme’s political Before joining Sky in 2018, she worked at The Sun as coverage. She’s been a journalist for 25 years, and Whitehall Correspondent and The Daily Telegraph as crackers of stories. has specialised in political journalism for 18, first for Senior Political Correspondent – where she was regional papers, then the BBC and now ITV. She is the recognised as one of 2016’s 30 To Watch winners. #30towatch judge first (and only) black woman to be a member of the Kate was highly commended at the Press Awards in 2017 Lobby. During her career, which has included stints for her Labour manifesto scoop, the first time a political on air as well as behind the scenes, she’s covered manifesto had been leaked to a newspaper in its entirety. every General Election since 1997 (plus two referenda) , interviewed 4 prime ministers, dozens of serving and She is deputy chair of the Press Gallery, the gathering former party leaders and ministers, and attended too of political journalists from national and international many party conferences to count. outlets in Westminster, having previously been chair in 2018. She was only the second woman to hold the title in over 200 years. 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards External judges Peter Campbell Oliver Shah Kat Lay Harry Cole Global Motor Industry Correspondent Business Editor Health Editor Political Editor Financial Times The Sunday Times The Times The Sun Peter is the Motor Industry Correspondent at Oliver is the Business Editor of the Sunday Times – Kat is Health Editor at The Times, which she Harry is Political Editor at The Sun. Prior to this, the Financial Times. He won a Gold Award in the before which, he was City Editor and Retail joined in 2012. She was formerly Feature Writer he was Deputy Political Editor of the Mail On 30 To Watch Awards in 2013 when he was working Correspondent at the same publication. He was at News of the World and The People, where Sunday, a contributing editor to The Spectator, for the Daily Mail. Peter has been a long-term named business journalist of the year at both the she used an expertise in data journalism and and Co-Editor of the Guido Fawkes blog. supporter of 30 To Watch, helping to nominate Press Awards and London Press Club Awards in Freedom of Information to secure exclusive Harry was a 30 To Watch winner in 2012. promising young journalists and reviewing 2017, and was a 30 To Watch winner in 2012. He stories with both news and features angles. entries for the past six years. studied English Literature at Cambridge University Kat was a 30 To Watch winner in 2014. and journalism at City University before joining City John Stevens AM in 2009 and the Sunday Times in 2010. In 2018 Deputy Political Editor Pandora Sykes he published his first book, Damaged Goods, Robert Guest Daily Mail Writer, journalist about Sir Philip Green and the collapse of BHS. Foreign Editor and broadcaster The Economist John is the Deputy Political Editor of the Daily Mail. He was also a 30 To Watch Gold Winner Pandora is a writer, journalist and broadcaster (her Oliver Smith Robert is The Economist’s Foreign Editor. in 2015 and since then he has become an debut essay collection, How Do We Know We Are Managing Editor Previously he was US Editor, Business Editor, established figure in the Westminster Lobby. Doing It Right? was published in July 2020) and a AltFi Washington Correspondent and Lexington During his eight years at the Mail, he has winner of the 30 To Watch Awards in 2015. columnist covering American news and politics. worked as a Regional News Reporter and Oliver is Managing Editor of AltFi, the industry- Prior to this, he covered Africa for seven years, helped to establish Mail Online in New York. A former fashion editor and columnist at The leading fintech publication that he joined in 2019 – based in London and Johannesburg. Before Sunday Times Style and contributing editor at before which he was a senior reporter on the joining The Economist, Robert was the Tokyo ELLE, Pandora has written for titles including inaugural Forbes Europe editorial team; was on Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, and The Observer, The Telegraph, GQ, Vogue, Red, the founding team of The Memo, London’s fastest- before that he was a freelance writer based in ES Magazine and Grazia. growing business and tech publication; and is a South Korea. He is the author of The Shackled former technology reporter at City A.M. He is a Continent, a book that tries to explain how Africa She is the co-creator and co-host of the acclaimed Gold Award 30 To Watch winner. can prosper, and Borderless Economics: Chinese weekly podcast The High Low, which receives over Sea Turtles, Indian Fridges and the New Fruits of 1.2 million downloads per month. In 2019, the duo Oliver has hosted and appeared on panels at dozens Global Capitalism, which argues that migration hosted a sell-out UK tour and launched a capsule of events, including VivaTech Paris, The Guardian makes the world brainier.