Waterford News & Star reporter Claire Quinn has been named Feature Journalist of the Year 2021 at the Local Ireland Media Awards, which were held online on Wednesday, December 1.
In total, the Waterford News & Star were nominated in three out of 14 different categories, including Best Use of Digital and Best Supplement, in the awards which were sponsored by the National Lottery.
Claire was chosen as winner for her series of articles entitled Covid-19 and the Déise. On hearing the news, she said:
The award is testament to the high calibre of writing produced week in week out by the newsroom team, and reflects a small sample of the vast amount of coverage on Covid-19 by the Waterford News and Star since the beginning of the pandemic.
Claire added that from a personal perspective she is "humbled and delighted" to be counted among some of the top journalists from local newspapers across the country.
Presenting the award was Marty Morrissey who recognised Claire’s work in “bringing Covid coverage to a whole new level both forensically and creatively, and for her compelling storytelling.”
Chair of the judges, Áine Kerr of kinzen.com, said: “At its very best, quality local journalism can engage, entertain and educate. Critically, it should – and can – leave us feeling more informed about the world around us, empowering us to make decisions and judgements about that everyday world. Quality local journalism has the power to make us feel more connected, to give us a sense of belonging to something, whether it’s a club, movement, community group or event.”
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