Gillian Tett awarded Journalist of the Year

Financial Times assistant editor Gillian Tett was named Journalist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards. Sam Jones was highly commended in the Young Journalist of the Year category.

The judges said: “Gillian Tett has been consistently in front of the curve as the world’s economy went into meltdown, with clear sharply written stories.”

When accepting the award, Tett said: ”I’m really stunned and thrilled to have won. It’s been a good time to be something of an anorak, covering the finer details of how the financial system works.”

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “In 2008, the Financial Times had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to report, analyse and comment on the most serious financial crisis since 1929. FT journalists, including Gillian, covered the crisis from every conceivable angle in every corner of the world and the market responded with enthusiasm.”

The British Press Awards is the annual celebration of the very best in journalism across the national press, honouring the finest journalists and newspapers in the land for more than 30 years. Further information about the awards can be found online at: www.britishpressawards.com

For further information, please contact:

Kristina Eriksson, Financial Times, +44 20 7873 4961 or kristina.eriksson@ft.com