The National:

TEAMWORK makes the dream work, and the National’s newsroom is run by a great team. In fact, we click so well that both our daily and Sunday editors are on holiday this week, together.

As a result, some of the politics team have been thrust into editorial – which if nothing else has made us realise just how valuable our usual editors are.

But their absence also freed up some space at the 44th Scottish Press Awards, which were held in Glasgow on Wednesday night. Never one to turn down a free meal (or a free drink), I went along.

As well as representatives from Scotland’s local and national media, a fair wedge of politicians were at the event: Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar, Alex Cole-Hamilton, and the First Minister were just some of the names milling about hoping to win favour with the media.

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Humza Yousaf even gave a speech (which saw him give a shout-out to The National). It was appreciated by editors in the crowd, according to the whisperings. 

Nicola Sturgeon had apparently not attended the press awards in some time, so Yousaf’s presence was seen as something of a welcome change of tack from the SNP leadership.

There were also whisperings in the room – on which we couldn’t possibly comment – that the Sunday National was robbed of the coveted Front Page of the Year award.

Rox Sorooshian, our former Sunday editor, had pulled together a clever image using the Wordle game’s format to send a clear message to then prime minister Boris Johnson: leave.

The National:

But as Rox said before the ceremony even started: “We won’t win. We’re up against the Queen.”

Sure enough, the best front page award went to the Scotsman for a picture of the late monarch. And the runner up went to the Scottish Daily Mail for a picture of Charles in mourning.

Our lack of due reverence seemed to have cost us dearly.

It certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Former BBC journalist Jackie Bird, who hosted the night, even made a joke on stage about The National’s front page failing to celebrate the King’s coronation.

If you remember, we ran a page highlighting the cost of living crisis on May 6, while just about every other paper raved about a “day of destiny” for the monarch…

The National:

READ MORE: I apologise for the Sunday National’s Coronation Day coverage

The other category The National was nominated in – Best Coverage of a Live Event – also saw us pipped to the post. But we didn’t really leave empty handed.

Richard Walker, the editor who brought the Sunday Herald out for Yes in the run-up to the 2014 referendum and founded this paper in its wake, was awarded a lifetime achievement award.

Richard spoke about his passion for news and his success in bringing a greater diversity of voices to the Scottish newspaper scene as he accepted the well-deserved accolade.

Without Richard, none of us at The National would be here doing what we do every day, and there wouldn’t have been a single front page on the King’s coronation weekend without the monarch’s mug on it.

We all owe him a debt for that.

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