Midlands 103 Celebrated At Justice Media Awards

Wednesday, 22 June 2022 16:23

The station was awarded two merits for our coverage of legal matters in the past year.

Midlands 103 has been celebrated at this year's Justice Media Awards.

The station had been nominated in two categories at the prestigious awards ceremony, hosted by the Law Society of Ireland.

The team of Sinéad Hubble, Ellen Butler, Robert Fahy and Will Faulkner was awarded a merit certificate for the Making A Will feature with Westmeath solicitor Elaine Byrne on Midlands Today.

The judges for the Broadcast Journalism (Radio - Local) category described it as "an excellent explainer of how probate law works. With detailed information from the solicitor guest, this report emphasised the importance of making a will and the consequences of not having one".

While Robert Fahy was also awarded a merit in the Newcomer of the Year category for his coverage of the courts in the midlands, particularly in relation to the Ashling Murphy case;

"This first-time court reporter has delivered a detailed piece of journalism on a tragic story. We look forward to seeing more from this local reporter."

Congratulations to everyone who won a merit certificate or Justice Media Award. Find the full list of winners at https://t.co/7BJQsr0Zwf #JMA22 pic.twitter.com/gsc03ABFJ6
— Law Society Ireland (@LawSocIreland) June 22, 2022

Speaking at today's ceremony, President of the Law Society of Ireland, Michelle Ní Longáin said;

“It is heartening to see such a high calibre and breadth of voices covering legal issues in Ireland across national and regional media.

“Legal journalism wears many hats. Whether it is highlighting gaps in legislation, increasing legal literacy or amplifying the voices of victims, the Law Society is proud to support and champion legal journalism.

“This year’s winning entry, Inside the District Courts, provides a detailed explanation of the operations of the courts each day. With valuable insights and access to the judiciary, it gives a broad perspective on the range of societal issues before the District Courts as well as a greater understanding of the daily operations of the Courts Service.

“Improving access to justice is a priority of the Law Society and to achieve this we need significant investment in both infrastructure and personnel in the Courts Service. This article neatly highlights the real challenges facing the court and the implications of an overloaded and under resourced system."

In total, 15 awards and 35 merits were presented across 15 categories, including awards in two new categories.

130 of Ireland’s leading journalists gathered at the Law Society of Ireland’s headquarters at Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 to attend the first in-person Justice Media Awards event since 2019.