Consumer Champion of the Year

“Impressive variety and depth of investigations underpinned by a determination to get to the truth so that each one was carried out until a resolution was found. The impact of her work is demonstrated by the number of examples that led to some sort of regulatory change, or triggered a larger inquiry, and clearly required lots of research, freedom of information requests and outreach to multiple agencies and regulatory bodies. Her writing is always clear and informative.”

WINNER:

Anna Tims, The Guardian and for work at The Observer

The judges said that consumers are extremely well served by the journalists who fight battles on their behalf, whether they are individual problems or collective issues. By winning this category, Anna stands out as the best of the best, making a real difference to the lives of her readers: “The impact of her work is demonstrated by the number of examples that led to some sort of regulatory change, or triggered a larger inquiry, and clearly required lots of research, freedom of information requests and outreach to multiple agencies and regulatory bodies.” This does not happen by accident said one judge: “The impressive variety and depth of investigations was underpinned by a determination to get to the truth so that each one was carried out until a resolution was found.”

Highly Commended:

Helen Crane, This is Money

Helen was highly commended by the judges. “She wins important battles on behalf of people who, without her, would not have a voice”, said one while another commented “The way she explains the steps taken in the painstaking process to recover the victim's funds is helpful to other readers in similar situations.”