When we won a couple of awards at the East London Advertiser a few years back, we sent a cheeky press release about our achievements to Tower Hamlets council’s East End Life. “Local business wins national awards,” was its gist.
Slightly embarrassingly, I can’t remember if they ever published it (I seem to recall they did, but that might well owe more to my high regard for its editor, Laraine Clay, than any reality).
As the paper is quite rightly packed with little pieces about the work of Tower Hamlets residents being recognised at a national level, this morning I’m going to send them the following press release:
Bow man shortlisted for prestigious journalism award
Bow resident Ted Jeory has been shortlisted for the prestigious Paul Foot award for his Trial by Jeory blog about Tower Hamlets politics. The award was set up by Private Eye and the Guardian in memory of Foot’s passion for campaigning and investigative journalism.
Ted, who is also the Home Affairs Editor for the Sunday Express, has been named on a shortlist of eight campaigns, with the winner due to be announced on February 26.
He established the blog in 2010, two years after leaving the borough’s main local newspaper, the East London Advertiser.
Since then, it has established a solid fan base, including Mayor Lutfur Rahman who regularly refers to it in the council chamber.
It also features regularly in Private Eye, which highlights stories about council spending and expenses claims by senior town hall officers.
Ted said: “If this press release appears in East End Life, I’ll promise to say something nice about the council. And then carry on. Thanks to Tower Hamlets council for playing such a part in this recognition.”
I wonder.
Anyway, as I tweeted this morning, many thanks to all readers and anonymous tipsters. Keep those brown envelopes coming through…
Here’s how the Guardian reported the shortlisting this morning:
Eight campaigns are on the shortlist for the Paul Foot award, set up by Private Eye and the Guardian in Foot’s memory: Tom Bergin, Thomson Reuters (for reporting on tax avoidance by Starbucks); Jonathan Calvert, Heidi Blake, Sunday Times (ex-generals lobbying for MoD contracts); Ted Jeory, Trial by Jeory blog (politics in one London borough); Alexi Mostrous, Fay Schlesinger, the Times (tax avoidance schemes); Claire Newell, Graeme Paton, Holly Watt and Robert Winnett, Daily Telegraph (exam boards); Andrew Norfolk, the Times (sexual exploitation of teenage girls); Rob Waugh, Yorkshire Post (scandals involving local police and Acpo); and Stephen Wright, Daily Mail (15 years’ coverage of the Stephen Lawrence case).
Judged by Brian MacArthur (chair), Clare Fermont, Bill Hagerty, Ian Hislop and Alan Rusbridger, the £5,000 award for investigative and campaigning journalism will be presented on 26 February, with £1,000 going to each of the runners-up.
The judges also longlisted and commended: Kaya Burgess, the Times (Cities Fit for Cycling campaign); David Cohen, Evening Standard (Ladder for London campaign aiding young unemployed); Gareth Davies, Croydon Advertiser (Lillian’s Law anti-drug-driving campaign); Ed Hammond and Caroline Binham, Financial Times (the SFO and the Tchenguiz brothers); and Harry Wilson and Richard Tyler, Sunday and Daily Telegraph (interest swap mis-selling).
Trial by Jeory 
Bravo Ted. And bravo to everyone who posts on here, for the responses are one of the (many) aspects of the greatness of this blog.
Fingers crossed for you on the 26th. I wonder whether we’ll be looking in EEL for news of how you got on, or here …
Tim.
Yes, well done and good luck!
Congratulations Ted.
I always anxiously awaited for Thursday morning to arrive so that I could get around to my local newsagent and pick up a fresh copy of the East London Advertiser and flip pages over straightaway to your column. Upon your departure from the ELA, I am so glad that you have continued TBJ as a regularly updated online blog. It is important to raise many of the examinations that arise as a result of your blog, and long may they continue, regardless I hope, of whomever is in charge of the Town Hall!
Thanks, Shahed.
…oh see how they grovel. No, Shahed. You are part of Lutfur’s administration. You are as bad as he is and collectively responsible for all the shit going down in this borough. You can quit and wash your hands or you can stay in the muck. Grovelling is pathetic.
Congrats and well done Ted! It’s a very well deserved nomination for the professional standards you apply to this blog in terms of content and the latitude given to those who comment – and the wide respect you’ve earned from those who do understand the gravity of the matters reported in this blog.
Of course you couldn’t have done it without your supporting cast of loyal commenters! 😉
Such a pity that the East London Advertiser doesn’t have journalists of your calibre on its team any more. If we had the both of you firing broadsides at the mishaps, misfeasance and malpractice in LBTH we’d maybe see some progress……
To be fair to the ELA, it exists in a v difficult climate and it has to cover a wider range of issues than this blog with not that many resources.
It has a superb editor in Malcolm Starbrook who encouraged me to start the Trial by Jeory column years back, and its current crop of reporters, particularly Robin de Peyer, are impressive.
I didn’t mean we hadn’t seen some progress so much as I’d love to see even MORE progress!
You should share it with Lutfur.
Ironic (and quite right) to see the Times & Telegraph prominent with the Guardian nowhere.
Congratulations, always a welcome ray of light in a borough full of murk.
Well done Ted although the council seems remarkably impervious to all the dubious dealings you have highlighted !
What a star you are!
Yens
This unique blog post, “A press release for East End Life Trial by Jeory” illustrates
the fact that you really fully understand everything that you are writing
about! I really definitely agree. Thanks a
lot -Mickey
Congratulations Ted!!!! Your contribution to local democracy, freedom of speech and your courage to hold the council to account has served all the peoples of Tower Hamlets. I am not surprised that shameful attempts to cause you hardship (trying to get you sacked) have been made by an administration that continues to heap shame and despair on this corner of East London. You should be handed the freedom of the Tower Hamlets!
I hope Tower Hamlets lawyer Isabel Freeman stays long enough to see you win the award before she floats off with yet another Mayoral golden goodbye package – secret negotiations take place Tuesday and she is demanding much moola! Councillors are not even able to see the paperwork…
How much has this woman cost this Council so far? That’s what I’d like to know – and is a question which I think Councillors (and Ted) should ask.
I very much think there should be a proper independent investigation of this question.
Am I right in thinking any agreements as to anybody’s payoff and gagging clause is only valid insofar as there is no other overriding reason for an investigation into what has been happening in Tower Hamlets in recent years?
Does the standard agreement include a clause which identifies that she is not allowed to remove any paperwork from the Town Hall, nor is she allowed to destroy any?
I’d very much like to see The Law Society involved in vetting whoever her replacement is. We so desperately need the calibre of lawyer very often found at a senior level in other local authorities and apparently so sadly lacking in LB Tower Hamlets in recent years. I’m only amazed that she has lasted so long – and do wonder as to why…….