Four nominations for Salford students at 2024 BJTC Awards

Salford is tied with the University of East Anglia for the second most nominations at the awards with students recognised in the Best Radio News Report, Best Radio News Feature and Best Podcast categories.

It marks the second year in a row that Salford has scored nominations in those categories with lecturers hopeful for another successful night at the awards evening on Thursday 12 December at Sky’s headquarters. 

Andrew Fletcher, Programme Leader for BA Journalism: Broadcast, said: “I am delighted with these nominations for our fantastic students. The BJTC Awards recognise the best in student journalism from more than 40 accredited courses and give our students a chance to showcase their work to a panel of editors and journalists from the BBC, ITV, Sky and other broadcasters.

“I wish all our nominees the best of luck at the awards ceremony on December 12.”

BA Broadcast Journalism graduate George Icke is nominated for Best Radio News Report. The Broadcast Journalist who now works with Global’s radio brands and as a breakfast newsreader, was shortlisted for his piece ‘Rural Crime: The East Midlands Fights Back’ in which he investigated the rise in organised rural crime within the Midlands where it is an acute problem.

George met with victims of rural crime to listen to their concerns that Nottinghamshire Police were not taking the problem seriously.

Fellow Broadcast Journalism graduate Eleanor Hayns is nominated in the Best Radio News Feature category for her piece ‘Finding Your Spectrum’ in which she reflects on her own experience of autism and talks to others with a late autism diagnosis.

Eleanor, who works as a Junior Account Executive with PR firm Little Red Rooster, was a two-time winner at the 2024 Journalism Awards.

Also nominated in the same category is Hannah Veness, a BA Broadcast Journalism graduate who now works as a Freelance Broadcast Journalist. Hannah’s feature ‘Priceless: The Many Trade 40 Years On’, traces her journey as a surrogate child and hears from others whose lives have been changed by surrogacy.

The category was won last year by former Salford student Sophie Green for her piece on the challenges around animal welfare gambling within the horse racing industry.

Lastly, four BA Broadcast Journalism students Megan Folan, Ellie Watt, Emma Nelson and Luke Pons are nominated in the Best Podcast category for their series which investigated ‘what goes on behind closed doors in Manchester after midnight.’ Salford also scooped this award in 2023 with a team who set themselves the challenge of giving up their phone for a week.

The students will be in attendance at this year’s ceremony at as the University bids to become award winners in three out of the last four years after scooping three awards in 2023 and two in 2021.