The editor of Computer Weekly, winner of the 2024 British Journalism Award for Campaign of the Year, has emphasized the importance of specialist publications in producing great journalism that deserves more recognition from the national media.
Computer Weekly was honored for its extensive coverage over 15 years of the wrongful convictions of Post Office subpostmasters due to faulty accounting software. Bryan Glick, editor since 2009, expressed gratitude to the national media for their coverage of the Post Office scandal but urged them to also pay attention to the wealth of stories produced by specialist publications like Computer Weekly.
The magazine published around 350 stories on the Post Office’s faulty Horizon software, with chief reporter Karl Flinders and freelance Nick Wallis leading the way. While other outlets eventually picked up the story, it wasn’t until early 2024 with the release of the ITV drama “Mr Bates vs The Post Office” that the miscarriage of justice gained widespread attention. In May, Parliament passed a law to quash the convictions of affected subpostmasters.
Former Computer Weekly journalist Rebecca Thomson, who investigated the scandal in 2009, was awarded an OBE for her contributions to justice. Glick highlighted the importance of specialist publications in covering stories like cybersecurity and data privacy that are relevant to everyone.
Glick reflected on the impact of long-term campaigning journalism in bringing about change, citing the Post Office scandal as a case study in UK journalism. He praised the power of British media in driving progress on important issues and emphasized the symbiotic relationship between journalism and dramatizations like ITV’s portrayal of the scandal.
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