`Independent' wins Financial Journal award

The Independent was yesterday named Financial Journal of the Year by the Wincott Foundation. This is the second time the paper has won the award, the most prestigious in financial journalism. It is the only paper to have been given the prize twice. The judges praised the Independent's business, city and economics coverage for its campaigning style, judgement, visual impact and regular scoops. The chairman of the judging panel; Professor Ian Morison, dean of social sciences and humanities at Loughborough University, said it had been struck by the balance and strength of the Independent's economics coverage, led by the economics editor Diane Coyle and supported by the columists Hamish McRae and Gavyn Davies. The judges also applauded the paper's "high scoop content", its coverage of important City stories such as the Peter Young affair and its campaigns on issues including the privatised utilities and share buy-backs.

Professor Morison added that the visual impact and balance of the business section re-inforced its reputation as a newspaper that appealed to the professional and lay reader alike.

The Senior Financial Journalist of the Year award went to Anatole Kaletsky of The Times and the Young Financial Journalist of the Year Award was shared by William Lewis of the Financial Times and Daniel Litvin of The Economist. The Broadcast Business Journalist of the Year was Alison Mitchell and the Business Broadcast of the Year award went to When Rover Met BMW, produced by BBC Bristol.