Computer Weekly’s Tony Collins wins digital journalism prize

Tony Collins, Computer Weekly's executive editor, was named Digital Journalist of the Year at the Press Gazette's Magazine Design and Journalism Awards in London last week.

The awards, which recognise excellence among UK magazine journalists, received 436 entries. The organisers said that competition was "particularly stiff this year". In the digital journalism category, Computer Weekly was up against Stuff and the Radio Times.

After receiving the award, Collins said, "I think the judges were impressed with the breaking of stories online, which for some traditional print journalists may be regarded as a step too far."

Computer Weekly editor Brian McKenna said, "This Press Gazette award is especially pleasing since it is in the digital category. It is a sign that Computer Weekly is transforming itself into a new-media title.

"It also shows that original, well-researched journalism will win out, irrespective of platform."

The winning stories, all of which first appeared online, included:

● Treasury officials ordering the destruction of Gateway internal reports into risky government IT schemes.

● How a software upgrade under the NHS's National Programme for IT led to hundreds of incorrect duplicate patient records being created every day at NHS sites in Greater Manchester.

● A blog post on the IT lessons learned by the Identity and Passport Service, with extensive links to audio and written content on the web.