Inverness Courier crowned Scotland’s weekly newsbrand of the year

The Inverness Courier was hailed as the weekly newsbrand of the year for Scotland at the 45th Scottish Press Awards in Glasgow last night.

It has been a stellar period for the news provider and its publisher Highland News and Media (HNM), which has more than 6000 digital subscribers, and was the only non-national outlet to hold a leadership debate in the aftermath of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation last year.

• Inverness Courier wins top national award for its Dual The A9 campaign

• A9 campaigner slams Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘lame excuses’ for dualling delays

• Sign up for our free newsletters

Awards organiser Newsbrands Scotland said: “The Inverness Courier was praised by the judges for being a modern and ambitious local newsbrand that invests its resources in the community and champions its readers, particularly with its campaign for the upgrade of the A9.”

The Courier’s Dual the A9 work – which included an A9 Crisis Summit at Eden Court and a pledge signed in person at Holyrood by the First Minister – was runner-up in the campaign of the year category.

Although a team campaign, a key figure on the editorial side was political reporter Scott Maclennan, whose efforts were acknowledged when he was named weekly journalist of the year.

HNM had further reason to celebrate with Lewis McBlane, of the Northern Scot/Huntly Express/Banffshire Herald, being the runner-up in the weekly journalist of the year section.

Sarah Fyfe, HNM’s head of content and audience, said: “Collecting four trophies is something special. These awards acknowledge our team’s commitment to their communities and holding people in power to account. The weekly newsbrand of the year award is a testament to the innovative approach we’ve taken to tackling the ever-changing local news landscape.

“With a General Election this summer, the ongoing saga with Caley Thistle and our Build the Bypass event in Nairn tomorrow, we’re not taking our foot off the gas.”

A total of 28 awards crediting the vital work of print and digital journalism were announced in a celebration of the finest journalism in Scotland.

Chairman of judges Richard Neville, director of Neville Robertson Communications, said: “This year’s awards highlight the exceptional calibre of journalism in Scotland. The winners have demonstrated remarkable dedication, skill, and integrity in their work, and their contributions are vital to our society.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.