Channel 4 News FactCheck blog wins top online award

The FactCheck blog was named winner in the commentary/blogging category at the Online Media Awards in London, beating off strong competition from the Huffington Post, New Statesman, The Times and Reuters.

Judge Nick Wrenn said FactCheck was “an important service” and praised Channel 4 News for turning the pursuit of truth into “a franchise”.

Jim Gray, editor, said: “This is such great and well-deserved recognition for the efforts of the FactCheck team – and even more so when you consider the tough competition.

(Pictured: FactCheck Producer Patrick Worrall with Acting Head of Online Anna Doble)

“FactCheck is now a well-established online brand that has been lauded with gusto by experts in journalism, in digital media and in statistics, and we’re flattered to receive this prize.”

The blog, led by Cathy Newman, aims to cut through the spin to get to the facts, holding government to account and sometimes embarrassing the powerful. FactCheck goes back to the source of a claim and tests it out against published statistics and official reports, scouring the archives and consulting independent experts in a particular field.

Patrick Worrall and Emma Thelwell’s in-depth analysis has also provided ammunition for all political parties and has been used by researchers at the House of Commons Library in briefing papers for MPs. A high-profile mention came recently from Scotland’s First Minster Alex Salmond who called FactCheck “the great arbiter of accuracy in current UK politics”.

FactCheck tackles complex debates in the political arena providing insight that has, for example, prompted Ed Miliband to demand a retraction in the Commons from David Cameron.

The night’s other big winners were The Guardian, which scooped five awards, and The Huffington Post’s UK editor-in-chief Carla Buzasi who was named online editor of the year.

The winning blogs
FactCheck: Work experience or slave labour?
FactCheck: Cameron caught out on frontline police cuts
FactCheck: The biggest porkies of 2011