Tullamore/ Midland Tribune captures 'Best News Story' accolade at Local Ireland Media Awards

The Tribune's Gearoid Keegan has captured the 'Best News Story' accolade at the prestigious Local Ireland Media Awards which were presented at a gala ceremony in Mullingar on Thursday night.

Gearoid, who is Deputy Editor of the Tullamore Tribune, was nominated for his coverage of the Garda investigation into the murder of Ashling Murphy and his interview with a former suspect in the horrific crime.

Gearoid was presented with his award by RTE presenter Marty Whelan at the function in the Bloomfield House Hotel.

His award winning story, headlined “Former murder suspect says he feels terrible for Ashling and her family”, was described by the judging panel as showing “the importance of local knowledge and contacts and being embedded in your local community.”

The full citation from the judges reads: “The horrific murder of Ashling Murphy received international coverage. This exclusive interview by Gearoid Keegan shows the importance of local knowledge and contacts and being embedded in your local community. The man, Radu Floricel, had been detained and questioned for the crime. This insightful interview covers all aspects, it has the shock of the man's detention, the detrimental effect on his family and his ongoing concern that not everyone was aware he had been cleared despite the issuing of a Garda statement. His quotes illustrate how a frenzied atmosphere after such a crime can be a dangerous thing; how a finger pointed in a certain direction can be especially hazardous for people seen as outsiders.”

Other titles in the Iconic Media group, of which the Tribune is a member, were also nominated for awards which relate to the year 2022 - The Tipperary Star, Kilkenny People, Clonmel Nationalist, Longford Leader and Mayo News.

The 2023 competition is the sixth to be sponsored by the National Lottery, which has its own award for Best Community Story.

President of Local Ireland and head of Irish Times Regionals, Dan Linehan, said the awards “reflect the professionalism, quality and skillset across the newsrooms of regional newspapers in Ireland who provide the highest quality local news and sports coverage in print and online every day and every week to our readers.

“We also appreciate the work of our judges, who, with their experience and personal skills, ensure that these awards are judged to the highest standard and ensure that they are a benchmark for quality journalism in Ireland.

“Finally, we thank the National Lottery for their continued support for the Local Ireland Media Awards – this partnership allows us to recognise the work of journalists across the country working in local regions and servicing their communities.”

Chair of the judges, journalist, author and broadcaster Alison O’Connor said: “This year’s entries show the excellent quality of regional journalism that exists in Ireland.

“From front pages to news stories, to columnists, features and photographs, readers are so well served by their local publications.

“There is breadth and depth across the range, from the hard-hitting news articles to the softer features – all giving an important insight into the heart of our local communities. Picking just a few nominees for each category was often a highly challenging task. But those nominated show the many examples of excellence to be found in regional publishing.”

The judging panel also includes broadcaster and journalist Dearbhail McDonald, Emeritus Professor at TUD Michael Foley, Dawn Wheatley of DCU School of Communications, Managing Director of Kinetic Ireland Andrew Sinclair, photographer and former Irish Times Picture Editor Frank Miller, broadcaster and writer Valerie Cox, and journalist and author PJ Cunningham.