News Letter reporter Adam Kula wins data journalism award from UK-wide media employer

Adam Kula, who has worked as a journalist since 2007 and full-time for the News Letter since 2012, won in the “best use of data” category.

It recognises stories which involve taking a pool of information and distilling it into an easy-to-understand form.

National World employs over 1,100 staff, of which about 700 are in the editorial (journalism) side of the business.

The award winners were announced last Thursday night in Blackpool.

Here are some examples of the winner’s number-crunching stories from 2022/23, and further beyond:

• Belfast takes more asylum seekers per head than almost anywhere in the UK, says Home Office data

• Bloody Friday massacre: Mapping the IRA bomb blitz across Belfast exactly 50 years ago (where the News Letter tries to cut through the confusion around how many bombs were planted, where, and when)

• Exclusive: News Letter reveals the financial state of the entire Irish League premiership – including the amount paid in wages

• DUP says council must 'be mindful' of public spending when it comes to idea of a new and bigger LGBTQQIA+ centre in Belfast (containing a breakdown of the number of groups, their public funding, and the seldom-cited gay / transgender demographics of the country)

• IN MAPS: Compare the Orange Order's Twelfth route in Belfast right now with the slashed-down version planned for 2024

• Northern Ireland's budget broken down: Whose funding is growing and whose is shrinking in 2023/24?

• Good Friday Agreement at 25: How Troubles death toll changed after 1998 deal

• Beyond Catholics and Protestants: Here’s what 2021 census says about Britishness, Irishness... and Northern Irishness

• Just the facts: Here are the hard numbers behind the IRA's insurrection

• Catholic and Protestant QUB staff to be eclipsed by those of neither religion

• Whopping 94.2% of students in Holylands are Catholic – sectarian divide branded ‘depressing’

• Number of murals on public property growing – and loyalist ones far outnumber republican ones

• Almost 40 per cent of Province’s growth in population down to immigration as Northern Ireland nears the two million mark

• Activists questioned over claim that Northern Ireland has as many transgender people as ethnic minorities

National World has owned the News Letter since 2021 when it took over from JPI Media.

It is a UK-wide media firm headed by Co Down native David Montgomery, the former editor of the News of the World and Today, and a former director of News International’s UK wing.

A PLC, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

As well as the News Letter, founded in 1737, the group runs a raft of other daily titles and websites.

This includes The Scotsman (founded 1817), the Yorkshire Post (1754), The News (based in Portsmouth, covering much of the surrounding south coast, founded 1877), and the Express and Star (covering the West Midlands, founded 1874).

It sold a combined total of 31.3 million newspapers in 2022, and its titles were averaging 111 million monthly page views online.

Other winning journalists / organisations in the 2023 awards were:

National Brand of the Year: The Scotsman

Journalist of the Year: Alison Campsie (The Scotsman)

Sports Journalist of the Year – Joint winners: Graham Smyth (Yorkshire Evening Post) and Mark Dunford (SussexWorld)

Lifestyle/Features Journalist of the Year: Gay Bolton

Insider Media's Business Journalist of the Year: Douglas Friedli

Video of the Year: Habibur Rahman (True Crime: The body-in-the-bag killer)

Photograph of the Year: Tony Johnson (The Last Post at CWCG Stonefall Cemetery - Tony Johnson)

Podcast of the Year: Joe Donohue (Inside Elland Road)

Front Page of the Year: Steve Sims (Hatters Promotion)

Story / Campaign of the Year: Claudia Bowes (The Stolen Purse)

Large / City Digital Brand of the Year: BirminghamWorld

Town / County Digital Brand of the Year: SussexWorld

Following the awards Mark Hollinshead, National World’s chief operating officer, said: “We were delighted to receive more than 200 entries across the wide-ranging award categories which spanned all areas of expertise within the company.

"The nominations received showcased the extraordinary talent, creativity and expertise of our people across the National World business.

“Every nominee was a worthy candidate and the decision as to who would win each category was not made easy for any of our judges.

“Editorial nominations once again showed the professionalism of our journalists across all disciplines, from video and podcasts to investigations or the ability to bring a unique tone to the stories from our local communities.

“Our commercial nominations highlighted the grit and determination of our sales teams in a continually challenging environment to deliver some great results and new initiatives throughout 2024.

“And this year's awards also provided a great opportunity to celebrate our expert support teams who continuously dedicate their time to ensuring the smooth running of the business.

“The awards themselves brought the glitz and glamour of Blackpool to the evening as we celebrated the achievement of our people in an evening full of laughter and pride.

“And finally, a huge thank you to our events team, and awards project group, for bringing to life such a wonderful occasion.”