Allison Morris

Judges were seriously impressed with Allison Morris’s “powerful” portfolio of work, “that could only have been assembled by a journalist with great contacts, tact and tenacity”. And with more than 20 years’ experience of boots-on-the-street reporting, that’s perhaps unsurprising. 

Morris’s special investigation into the individuals behind the execution of gangland figures, and the cross-border and familial links involved, led to an increase in paid subscriptions to the Belfast Telegraph. The publication said it demonstrated there was an appetite for properly researched crime investigations. 

Meanwhile, a previously unreported story about the sexual exploitation of young women by drug gangs in Northern Ireland cemented Morris’s “courage and flair for telling stories in a compelling and accessible way”.  

But it was the exclusive interview with Tom Bowen, whose wife and brothers-in-law died in a bomb blast more than 50 years ago, that gave Morris the edge. Judges said: “The high impact exclusive interview was extremely moving and told a tragic story in an empathetic way.”

Morris’s entry was a true example of “powerful, hard-hitting compelling story telling”, judges concluded. “Her portfolio demonstrated an ability to establish trust, bravery and journalism of the highest quality.”