The Courier has been named Scotland’s News Website of the Year.
The DC Thomson title won the accolade at the 43rd Scottish Press Awards on Wednesday night.
The Courier beat national publishers including the Daily Record and the Scotsman to the gong at the ceremony in Glasgow.
‘Truly excellent experience for audiences’
Editor David Clegg said: “We are absolutely thrilled by this recognition.
“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to deliver a truly excellent experience for our audiences.
“The way we, as a publisher, have adapted our approach to serve both print and digital over the last year has stood us in good stead for the future.”
There were other major successes for The Courier – and its sister titles the Press and Journal and the Sunday Post – on the night too.
Journalist Sean O’Neil was named Local/Weekly Reporter of the Year for his work as part of the Impact investigations team – including his documentary about the disappearance of Glenrothes man Allan Bryant.
Meanwhile The Stooshie, which delves into the big political stories of the week for readers of The Courier and Press and Journal, scooped Podcast of the Year.
The Press and Journal had several other successes: it was named the Daily Newspaper of the Year, received the award for Local/Weekly Campaign of the Year after its Beach Clean coverage, journalist Neil Drysdale was named Local/Weekly Feature Writer of the Year and Catherine Deveny won Columnist of the Year.
The Sunday Post was crowned Sunday Newspaper of the Year, while the newspaper’s Marion Scott took home both the Reporter of the Year and the Nicola Barry Award gongs.
John McLellan, director of the Scottish Newspaper Society, said: “Because of the unpredictability, 2021 was in many ways as difficult as 2020, but the speed with which journalists and publishers adapted to pandemic conditions ensured they were in good shape to meet the challenges.
“The measures we took in conjunction with government action ensured that titles emerged relatively intact and able to continue serving readers with trusted, reliable news and information.
“Although the commercial landscape remains challenging to say the least, it is encouraging to see so many high-quality entries and the enthusiasm on display at our annual celebration is testament to the sector’s continued resilience.”
Conversation