Philip Aldrick of Bloomberg was named Wincott Journalist of the Year 2023 for his authoritative commentary and analysis on highly relevant topics such as the NHS black hole, the high economic costs of sick leave and a workshy culture in the UK.
The awards were made at a lunch at Mansion House in the City of London on Thursday May 16 2024, in the presence of Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley, representing the Lord Mayor of the City of London, co-host of the awards.
The guest speaker was Gary Stevenson, a former City trader who founded a YouTube channel, GarysEconomics, teaching people about real world economics. He has become a best selling author with his first book The Trading Game: A Confession,.
Guests and shortlisted finalists were welcomed by Lionel Barber, Wincott chair, who said the judges had again been impressed by the quality of the entries in another year of turbulence and uncertainty in economics and poliics. He said there had been 140 entries for the awards with 36 for journalist of the year.
The Young Journalist of the Year category with more 25 entries showed some sharp reporting on St James Place; dynamic pricing in pubs; and NHS sick leave . The winner was Antonia Cundy of the Financial Times for her range of deep and original reporting, notably exposing the top City fund manager Christian Odey and his sexual assault and harassment of women staff over many years. Simon Lock of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism was the runner up for his work on transnational corruption and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s finances.
Regional Journalist of the Year was Jennifer Williams, the FT’s Northern correspondent. Judges said Jennifer was the standout winner – a stylish writer and dogged reporter.
The judges had a tough time choosing a winner of the Personal Finance Journalist of the Year because the standard was very high. The interview with the octogenarian Lord Lee by Alex Newman of the Investors Chronicle produced a torrent of common sense. In the end, however, the judges chose Katie Morley of the Daily Telegraph, champion of the agony aunt format. Her entries were entaining and a great example of accountability journalism.
There was another impressive set of entries for the Data Journalism of the Year award. The runner up was Martin George of the Local Government Chronicle who showed how pension fund liabilities could be costing councils millions. But the standout winner was the Bloomberg News team – Todd Gillespie; Gavin Finch; Jason Grotto; Sam Dodge; and Will Mathis – on the market failure in UK energy pricing. It showed perfect timing with the cost of living crisis and was expertly executed.
The judges were unanimously impressed with the quality of the entries for the Audio Journalism of the Year award. Podcasts as well as broadcasts are in fine fettle. The runner-up was the BBC Radio 4’s Uninsurable Planet (Nick Holland, Producer; Felicity Hannah, Reporter; Richard Fenton-Smith, Editor; Hugh Levinson, Commissioning Editor; Sound Engineer, Graham Puddifoot). In the end, the judges decided the winner should be Tortoise: Helen versus Sam (Patricia Clarke, reporter; Matt Russell, producer). Tthe story of the battle over the future of Open AI and the role of effective altruism was outstanding, well put together and entertaining.
The Video Journalism of the Year category was a fascinating competition between contrasting story telling. The FT’s reporting on Premier League Betting Sponsors caught the eye. And the judges were almost carried away by Channel 4’s Amazon Heist, fronted and written by the high octane reporter- entertainer Oobah Butler. In the end, however, we chose Panorama: Surviving the Pay Freeze. Ros Atkins, reporter and BBC Analysis Editor, presented the report from his native Cornwall, and the personal touch made all the difference. The team behind the programme were Neil Breakwell, Executive Producer, October Films; Diana Martin, Deputy Editor, BBC Panorama; Bob Marsden, Director; Sachin Croker, Producer; Martha Elwell, Assistant Producer.
In the Journalist of the Year category judges paid tribute to the high quality of entries. They singled out the FT’s tick-tock on the biggest banking story of the year, Credit Suisse’s forced merged with UBS; Will Dunn’s balanced analysis of Dame Sharon White’s tenure at John Lewis; and Anna Isaac’s blockbuster reporting, notably the CBI’s toxic culture. Philip Aldrick of Bloomberg won the award for his commentary and analysis after a lengthy debate with the judges deciding the runner up should be the Economist on the Artificial Intelligence revolution by Callum Williams and Arjun Ramani. The judges noted the deeply researched quality of the articles (and other submissions). The three AI articles brought a balanced perspective to discussion of a subject often characterised by wild conjecture.