2024 Justice Media Awards winners announced

The winners of the Law Society Justice Media Awards 2024 have been announced at an awards ceremony at Blackhall Place today (20 June).

Print journalist Killian Woods of the Business Post took the overall prize for his nine-part series on 'Planning and the Courts – The fallout from the state's bid to tackle judicial reviews of development projects'.

The judges said the nine-part series was timely, educational, and about keeping our state bodies accountable.

Exceptional

“It is exceptional legal reporting,” they said.

“With the country facing a housing crisis, Mr Woods delved into the details of the planning system and developments and showed commitment to following the story over a period of months,” they added.

Killian Woods’ entry was selected from the Print/Online Journalism (Sunday) category and chosen as the overall winner from 400 entries.

The overall winner in that category was Catherine Sanz (Business Post) for her article  'Courts Can't Respond to Political Criticism'.

The judges said that this was likely a much sought-after interview with the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the journalist did well to draw out information and interesting insights from the interviewee.

Shane Phelan (Irish Independent) won the International Justice Reporting category for "Google forced to stop telling publishers about ‘right to be forgotten’ decisions.”

The judges said: “This experienced journalist has delivered an important update on the right to be forgotten and delisting of webpages. It is clearly written and addresses key legal information for readers.”

The Local Print/Online category was won by Aidan O'Connor (Kerry's Eye) for his article on character references, which the judges said delivered an excellent report on a controversial issue.

“This was a local story, which drew national attention from our lawmakers,” said the citation.

The Ashling Murphy murder trial, public interest investigative journalism, court delays and law reform issues were among the key topics covered across the 15 award categories.

Irish Independent reporters Kevin Doyle, Fionnán Sheahan, Tabitha Monahan and Niall McMonagle won the Broadcast/Podcast category for The Indo Daily on the South Dublin planning saga and the quest for ‘go away’ money.

The judges said: “This public interest podcast had it all – planning, mildly-inconvenienced south Dublin residents, fraudulent payments and a law firm scandal. The short format of these podcasts is convenient for people on the go.”

'Beautifully-written'

The Print Court Reporting category was won by Mary Carolan (The Irish Times) for ‘A day trip to the Aran Islands with a District Court judge’.

The judges said: ”This was a beautifully written article which transported the reader into the island court. It highlighted how justice must be delivered even in the most remote parts of the country, and as Gaeilge."

The Court Reporting Broadcast category was won by Barry Cummins and Brídóg Ní Bhuachalla (RTÉ Prime Time): for ‘Nora’.

The judges said: “This report highlighted the advances in forensic science to aid a long-overdue conviction.

“This piece was earmarked for its powerful storytelling. It showed how, even after a substantial amount of time, murders can be solved with new sciences and technologies and justice can still be served.”

The Broadcast National (Radio) category was won by Evelyn O’Rourke and Niamh Lyons for 'Inside the Children Court' on Today with Claire Byrne, (RTÉ Radio 1).

The Student Journalism category was won by Tom O’Connor (Flirt FM) for 'Boyle’s Law: The Story of Kevin Boyle', which explored the life of a human rights lawyer, activist, and academic.

“This student journalist has demonstrated impressive skill and storytelling,” the judges said.

Supporting journalism

Law Society President Barry MacCarthy said in his speech: “For over 30 years the Law Society has celebrated the best in legal journalism.

“We have immense pride in the Justice Media Awards and what they stand for. We are honoured to support journalism that promotes a greater public understanding of the law and our rights, legal literacy, and the legal system. 

He added that the Law Society is encouraged by the expanding standard and talent in Irish legal journalism.

In total, one overall winner, 15 awards and 38 merits were presented across 15 categories.

The goal of the awards is to:

• Promote highest standards in legal journalism,
• Foster greater public understanding of the law, the legal system or access to justice issues,
• Inform and educate the public as to the roles in society of the law, the courts, law enforcement agencies, and the legal profession,
• Disclose practices or procedures needing reform in Irish laws, courts, and law enforcement agencies, and
• Assist all others involved in the administration of justice in attaining the highest professional standards.

To view the full list of winners, see: Justice Media Awards citations.

For more photos, go to this page.