Express wins major prize at British Journalism Awards | UK | News
The Daily Express has been honored with a major award for our Give Us Our Last Rights campaign to legalize assisted dying. Health editor Hanna Geissler and new formats editor Dan Dove received the award for Public Service Journalism at the British Journalism Awards on Thursday night. The jury said: “The Daily Express has been leading a campaign since early 2022 that has given voice to some of society’s most vulnerable and forgotten members.
“He explored every angle of a difficult debate, put the voices of those affected at the center of the story and undoubtedly played a huge role in delivering major change in the law.” During the nearly four-year campaign, the Express shared heartbreaking stories of those who were terminally ill, who saw their loved ones suffer terrible deaths, or who saw their relatives travel to Dignitas as a case for change.
A petition we launched two years ago quickly collected more than 200,000 signatures, sparking a debate in Westminster Hall and reigniting the debate on assisted dying in Parliament.
We also joined forces with Dame Esther Rantzen after she announced her own terminal lung cancer diagnosis.
The veteran broadcaster has bravely spoken out on behalf of all those facing the end of life and has been a leading voice in the push for more compassionate legislation.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the assisted dying legislation, praised our reporting for highlighting the human stories behind efforts to change the law.
He said: “Well done to the Express. It’s been a great campaign and the Express has done an excellent job despite a fair amount of hostility from some sections of the media who haven’t addressed the issue on a human level.”
“You told the stories of people who needed and wanted this change in the law, and I have great respect for you and thank you for doing that.”
Geoff Maynard, editor-in-chief of the Express, said the win was “a fair reward for a three-year campaign to change the law on assisted dying and finally give terminally ill patients the choice they want at the end of their lives”.
He added: “The campaign was run with kindness, respect and skill by Hanna, in collaboration with the charity Dignity in Dying and of course Dame Esther Rantzen.
“His excellent reporting was supported by Dan’s amazing video skills to truly get the campaign message across across all platforms.
“They are both incredibly talented young journalists and I am hugely proud of them and the whole Express team who continue to take the story forward.”
