Inspired

As my wife works in the news media last night we went along to the Foreign Press Association Media Awards dinner. It was a black tie affair at a Park Lane hotel with the Crown Prince of Spain and everyone's favourite MP Vince Cable as guests of honour.

As it happened we sat at a table with two of the award winners. Miles Amoore's piece Blood Brothers Scarred by War won the Best Feature and was accepted by his brother Jim, the man grievously injured in Afghanistan who is the story's subject. Miles is already back in Kabul. Martin Hickman's piece on Palm Oil won the Best Environmental story. Martin also won the FPA Journalist of the Year award.

Both stories are amazing. Blood Brothers uses a personal angle to speak to a broad political issue. Palm Oil has the potential to change the shopping and eating habits of the developed world.

This is what journalism is meant to be.