Award winning entrepreneur Jerry Kennelly has been announced as the new Chair of the Judging Pane for this year’s Journalism Awards which are organised by NewsBrands Ireland.
Kennelly will preside over an independent judging panel which will be tasked with whittling the thousands of entries into 26 overall winners and choosing the annual Journalist of the Year. Steeped in newspapers from an early age, Kennelly learned his craft in his family’s Tralee based news and publishing business, Kerry’s Eye. By 1981, he had founded Newsfax, an independent news and picture agency. He then set up Stockbyte and Stockdisc which were acquired by Getty Images in 2006. In 2011, Jerry established Tweak, a global design technology business.
The 2018 judging panel will be made up of independent figures from inside and outside the newspaper industry, all chosen for their integrity and commitment to the highest journalistic standards. The annual awards are once again sponsored by the National Lottery. The Awards will take place in November in Dublin’s Mansion House.
Commenting at the launch of this year’s Journalism Awards, Vincent Crowley, Chairman of NewsBrands Ireland said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jerry Kennelly as our new Judging Panel Chairman. He brings with him a knowledge and passion for journalism which will be of considerable value to the Awards judging process.
“The Journalism Awards’ new Campaign of the Year category will showcase how Irish newspapers, through their reporting and campaigns, contribute positively to civic life and the public good. Public interest journalism campaigns hold the powerful accountable, increase transparency and strengthen democracy, as well as providing an important platform for communities to rally around causes. Good luck to all of this year’s entrants,” he added.
For more information visit www.journalismawards.ie