The festive prize ceremony on 28 May concluded the annual full-day event in Oslo packed with highly relevant food-for-thought, insight and inspiration for journalists at Schibsted Media Group’s media houses. The topic of this year’s daytime conference was “Moving Storytelling”.
Journalists and editors were present to honor exemplary journalism in text, photo, audio or live images produced in Schibsted Media Group’s media houses in Norway, Sweden and Spain. In each of the three categories “Best Storytelling”, “Best Innovative Entry” and “Best Scoop” the winners were honored with NOK 200,000.
“2014 must rank as one of the best years ever in terms of excellent journalistic work produced by our media houses. I am deeply impressed with all the strong stories we uncover, and that set the agenda in the countries we are present in and make our readers more informed. Our media houses keep winning prestigious prizes both at national and international levels for their work. Some of the best stories from 2014 have been awarded today here at the Schibsted Journalism Awards. I congratulate the winners and all the nominees for their excellent efforts,” says Rolv Erik Ryssdal, CEO in Schibsted Media Group.
Best storytelling
Norwegian media house VG won the award for “Best Storytelling” for the story “Odin-saken” (The Odin Case).
“VG told the story about a young boy called Odin and about what drove him to take his own life. VG’s treatment of this highly personal story demonstrates great sensitivity, respect and impressive thoroughness. The story engaged individual readers and society at large, prompted a public debate, and got people marching in the streets to put a stop to bullying.
This winner adapted its story to the new media landscape and told it in a way that not only moved audiences but also lit a spark of hope.”
The Finalists
VG: “Dødsdykket” (The Death Dive)
“This fascinating and tragic story by VG about an underground diving expedition was told without sentimentality. This compelling story was concisely written and customized to reach readers on different platforms.”
20 Minutos: “Muro de Berlin” (The Berlin Wall)
“20 Minutos took an old story and breathed new life into it by adding new elements. The presentation enhanced the reader experience and made 20 Minutos a front-runner in digital storytelling.”
Best innovative entry
Regional media house Fædrelandsvennen (FVN) won the award for “Best Innovative Entry” for the project “Sørlandsporten” (The Gate to Southern Norway).
“The local authorities did not make it easy to find official information, creating a barrier for citizens as well as for Fædrelandsvennen. So the newspaper decided to reproduce the information in a way that empowered its readers by making more than one million official documents searchable. This democratic project is proof of how inseparable journalism and technology have become.
The winner has developed a new way of empowering its audience. It has changed the balance between public officials and citizens by combining a simple idea with advanced technology.”
The finalists:
Aftonbladet: “Partiledardebatten” (The Party Leader Debate)
“Aftonbladet covered Sweden’s general election in 2015 on various platforms, but its web TV coverage of the debate between the party leaders revitalized the political debate as a genre. With this high-quality production, a big studio audience and close interaction with its audience via social media, Aftonbladet has taken a brave and innovative step into the future.”
Svenska Dagbladet: “SvD60sekunder” (SvD60seconds)
“The political game was not only visualized but also analyzed in depth in a series of 60-second animations by Svenska Dagbladet. With wit and elegance, Svenska Dagbladet gave a new dimension to politics by providing bold analysis and by combining pen and paper with digital technology.”
Best scoop
Swedish media house Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) won the award for “Best Scoop” for the series “Industrivärden” (The Industrial World).
“Svenska Dagbladet and N360.se revealed a series of events that truly shook Sweden’s business community. By exposing double standards, it gave the reader access to a previously closed world. The success of this scoop can be measured by the excellent way in which it was rolled out and by the impact it had on the big Swedish companies at the center of this scandal.
With the help of tenacity, advanced investigative techniques and reliable sources, the winner was able to expose facts that had a real impact and that changed Swedish society forever.”
The finalists:
Bergens Tidende “Monika-saken” (The Monika Case)
“Bergens Tidende discovered that the police had made a series of mistakes following an alleged suicide by an eight-year-old girl. Showing deep respect for the dead girl and her family, Bergens Tidende challenged the findings of the police investigation and uncovered issues that concern society at large.”
Bergens Tidende: “Shaimaa”
“This scoop started with the Norwegian government’s decision to return a young girl who had lived i Norway for five years to Afghanistan. The story revealed a political scandal that had serious consequences for many asylum-seeking children, exposing lies, empty promises and violations of law, and forcing officials and politicians to step up and take responsibility.”