The honour, in our inaugural year, was for the investigation in June this year into Clutha-Southland National MP Todd Barclay and a secret payment made with the knowledge of the then deputy Prime Minister Bill English to Barclay’s electorate agent. Barclay stood down from Parliament after the matter became public. The links to Politicians, police and the payout and How Barclay’s career went up in smoke: a timeline are here.
Newsroom launched in March, aiming to deliver quality independent journalism on the Things that Matter. The Barclay story was the second of a series of major investigations on stories of national significance.
Reid worked on the Barclay investigation with Newsroom co-editor Mark Jennings, video producer Paul Enticott and two of our Parliamentary press gallery staff Shane Cowlishaw and Sam Sachdeva.
The Newsroom entry was one of three finalists in a strong field including Great Southern Television’s The Hui current affairs show which screens on TV3 and an inquiry by StuffCircuit, from Fairfax, into New Zealand prisons.
Other major awards on the night went to Newshub for its news coverage of the Kaikoura earthquake and to its 6 pm news anchor Mike McRoberts for best presenter.
Across town, at the Sir TP McLean Sports Journalism Awards, Newsroom writer Suzanne McFadden was honoured with life membership of the association representing sports journalists and photographers.
McFadden, who has covered national and international netball and yachting for decades, including the two America’s Cup victories by New Zealand – and is an award-winning magazine feature writer – is the second woman after Margot Butcher to be accorded life membership.
