ChristopherWhite.info

On Friday, a handful of us forsook the day’s lectures and made another trip down to London for the NUS/Press Association Training National Student Journalism Awards.Somehow, I won the Diversity Writer category.

Plenty of people were quick to point out the irony of a young, able-bodied, protestant-backgrounded-atheist, middle-class(ish), straight, white male - and especially one as politically incorrect as I - coming anywhere near a sentence containing the word “diversity”[1], but I’ll take the trophy and the prize money with a Very Large Smile Indeed, thanks.

I’m pretty chuffed, it’s fair to say. It’s particularly pleasing since the first ever time I submitted anything for an award, about 18 months or so ago, the pro feedback included “72.3711% to nod off on the spot”, “needs to get laid more often” and “like apologising for premature ejaculation”. I can’t remember the judges’ comments from the other night, but Paul Jones, the Press Association’s Head of Foundation Course Training; Disability Now reporter Elizabeth Choppin; and Fiona Parker, the Mirror’s Letters Editor were presumably much more complementary.

Thing is, though, as Will said when Quench won Best Magazine at them other awards, it’s incredibly subjective. As nice as the recognition from professionals is, it’s a complete contrast to the up to 24,000 readers who mostly seemed to think I’m a bit of a tool. It just seems a little bit like the kind of mutual back-slapping elitist kind of think that I’ve often criticised on, for example, Comment Is Free, where a couple of writers seem to be respected infinitely more by their bosses and colleagues than by the readers. But I’m not complaining. I’m not. I’m delighted.

The other thing to take from this is that my three entries were all opinion columns. We’re often being told that nobody’s interested in our opinion, and, as we’ve seen from the sheer number of bloggers, anyone can do it. It’s often decried as Not Proper Journalism. But it’s just seen off four other very talented people’s feature work. So what does that mean?
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1 In fact, just before I got up to collect the award John asked if I’d actually entered this seriously.