Irish Independent wins two Justice Media Awards and two certificates of merit

Awarded by the Law Society of Ireland, the Justice Media Awards are the longest-running media awards in the country and recognise the highest standards of excellence in legal journalism.

The Indo Daily podcast was the winner in the broadcast podcast (TV/video) category for The South Dublin planning saga and the quest for ‘go away’ money by Kevin Doyle, Fionnán Sheahan, Tabitha Monahan and Niall McMonagle.

The episode covered the story of a demand for a payment to not object to planning permission for a housing development in a southside Dublin suburb where neighbours secretly looked for a sum of €225,000.

“This public interest podcast had it all – planning, mildly inconvenienced south Dublin residents, fraudulent payments and a law firm scandal. The short format of these podcasts is convenient for people on the go,” the judges said.

Irish Independent Legal Affairs Editor Shane Phelan won in the international justice reporting (all channels) category for his story in the Irish Independent on tech giant Google being forced to stop telling publishers about right to be forgotten decisions.

He reported that Google had been forced under European privacy law to stop informing media organisations of decisions made to delist certain news articles from results on the search engine.

The judges said: “This experienced journalist has delivered an important update on the Right to be Forgotten and delisting of webpages. It is clearly written and addresses key legal information for readers.”

Sunday Independent journalist Mark Tighe was recognised with a certificate of merit in the print/online journalism (Sunday) category for his story on delays to cases before the High Court.

A High Court register obtained by the Sunday Independent had found the number of cases where judgement had been reserved for more than two months has almost doubled between July 2021 and July 2023.

“This special report analysed how long judgements have been outstanding since their hearings finished. This journalist tackled this issue with an interesting angle. It was a smart way to bring it to the public’s attention,” the judges said.

Shane Phelan was also recognised with a merit certificate for a story on Nicholas Smith (82) and his wife Hillary (79), a couple in Co Tipperary who had been found dead in their remote home in Cloneen in June 2022. It is believed they had lain undiscovered for 18 months.

The report contained details of a letter revealing the lonely lives the couple led and their distrust of the Irish care system.

“This seasoned journalist provided an exclusive report demonstrating the importance of seeking all information to build a complete picture. It also offered excellent insights into the Coroner’s Court,” judges said.

The overall winner at the Justice Media Awards was Business Post reporter Killian Woods for a series of stories on the State’s efforts to tackle judicial reviews of development projects.

“For over 30 years the Law Society has celebrated the best in legal journalism. We have immense pride in the Justice Media Awards and what they stand for,” Law Society president Barry MacCarthy said.

“We are honoured to support journalism that promotes a greater public understanding of the law and our rights, legal literacy, and the legal system.”