The Private Eye Paul Foot Award 2023 shortlist has been revealed today, comprising the best submissions from digital media, national and regional publications. The judges were impressed by the number of high-quality entries to the 2023 Paul Foot Award, reflecting the talent and dedication of today’s investigative and campaigning journalists. This year’s shortlist contains a diverse and impactful range of stories, including those revealing police violence, political cronyism, dubious practices in the courts, corporate bullying of society’s most vulnerable, and a dive into the murky world of the online “manosphere”.
The awards ceremony will be held at BAFTA on Tuesday 6th June, hosted by Ian Hislop. The winning entry for 2023 will be awarded £5,000 and a piece on the winner will run in the print issue of Private Eye, available on Tuesday 12th June.
THE SHORTLIST NOMINATIONS, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY JOURNALIST, ARE:
- Phil Coleman, Newsquest Cumbria:
Human rights group condemns “dangerous” police taser use - David Conn, The Guardian:
Revealed: Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her family secretly received millions from “VIP lane” PPE firm - Paul Morgan-Bentley, The Times:
British Gas breaking into the homes of the vulnerable - Gabriel Pogrund & Harry Yorke, The Sunday Times:
The BBC chairman, the prime minister and the £800,000 loan guarantee - Matt Shea, Jamie Tahsin & Tim Hume, Vice World News:
The dangerous rise of Andrew Tate - Hannah Summers, The Observer/the Guardian:
The use of unregulated psychologists in the family courts
This year’s judging panel, chaired by Pádraig Reidy, Little Atoms, is comprised of Julia Langdon, Political Journalist and Broadcaster; Sir Simon Jenkins, The Guardian; Helen Lewis, The Atlantic; Francis Wheen, Private Eye; Matt Foot, criminal defence solicitor; Kim Sengupta, The Independent; Janine Gibson, Financial Times; and Hannah Al-Othman and David Collins, The Sunday Times, winners of the 2022 Paul Foot Award.
Pádraig Reidy, Chair of Judges, The Private Eye Paul Foot Award, commented: “The judges were hugely impressed by the range of entries this year. The eventual shortlist was hotly debated; with so many hard-hitting stories, choosing six can feel like an impossible task.”
Set up in memory of renowned journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004, the award honours the UK’s most brilliant, talented and determined journalists working in the fields of investigative and campaigning journalism today.
Further information on the shortlist is below.
www.private-eye.co.uk @PrivateEyeNews #paulfootaward
Contact for further information
For further information, please contact Amelia Knight, Midas
Tel: +44 (0)7771 791 210 / Email: amelia.knight@midaspr.co.uk.
Further details on the Private Eye Paul Foot Award Shortlist 2023
THE PRIVATE EYE PAUL FOOT AWARD SHORTLIST 2023
Phil Coleman, Newsquest Cumbria
Human rights group condemns “dangerous” police taser use
Police bodycam footage acquired by reporter Phil Coleman revealed how officers had tasered a Cumbrian man suffering a mental health crisis, causing serious injuries.
David Conn, The Guardian
Revealed: Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her family secretly received millions from “VIP lane” PPE firm
David Conn’s reporting uncovered how Baroness Mone and her three adult children had been secretly paid £29m from the profits from PPE contracts. The PPE company she was linked to is now under investigation.
Paul Morgan-Bentley, The Times
British Gas breaking into the homes of the vulnerable
Paul Morgan-Bentley undercover work detailed the callous, forceful installation of expensive pre-paid energy meters in the homes of vulnerable people, prompting swift political action.
Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke, The Sunday Times
The BBC chairman, the prime minister and the £800,000 loan guarantee
Pogrund and Yorke revealed how Richard Sharp was appointed BBC chairman weeks after helping Boris Johnson secure a loan of up to £800,000. The Sunday Times’ investigation led to Sharp’s resignation.
Matt Shea, Jamie Tahsin and Tim Hume, Vice World News
The dangerous rise of Andrew Tate
Vice World News’ investigation into misogynist online influencer Andrew Tate found that the UK authorities missed opportunities to prosecute him for sexual offences.
Hannah Summers, The Observer/the Guardian
The use of unregulated psychologists in the family courts
Hannah Summers, working in tandem with Beatrix Campbell, documented how unregulated “experts” are allowed testify as credible witnesses on the controversial subject of “parental alienation” in family court cases.
