SJA Academy member LUCY BLITZ is a freelance sports multimedia journalist and content producer, studying for her NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at News Associates.
David Ornstein cemented a sensational year of sports journalism by being named as the SJA’s Sportswriter of the Year for the first time in his career.
The Athletic’s football correspondent was honoured with the John Bromley Trophy for his relentless pursuit of football’s biggest stories.
Ornstein has established his reliability for minute-by-minute transfer updates and an ever-growing portfolio of features since joining the online publication six years ago.
He said: “I’ve worked so hard, ferociously, day in and day out throughout my career.
“I’ve tried to do things the right way, properly, and conduct myself to the best of my abilities, and learn from so many people at so many different organisations, including my latest at The Athletic.
“I need to say a huge thank you to them as well. I’m a grafter, I’ve never been given a leg-up, a step up, a privilege, and tonight shows that if I can do it, anyone can do it.
“Essentially, I’m a public servant, that’s what a journalist is. I get a lot of good feedback from the public, whether it be through The Athletic, through broadcasting, through social media.
“But when it comes to these accolades, it’s the people who know what goes in day in and day out, not just from your own organisation, but from others, some of them rivals.
“Editors, journalists, commentators, people that have seen your journey, been on their own journey, so it’s the highest achievement I’ll probably ever gain, and that means everything to me.”
Ornstein picked up the SJA’s Football News Reporter accolade for the second year running as well, in recognition of his tireless work on breaking football news.
Erik ten Hag’s departure from Manchester United, Nottingham Forest’s breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules, and Pep Guardiola’s contract extension at Manchester City were just some of the big stories he provided award-winning coverage of.
But there was one story which Ornstein repeatedly referenced as the proudest moment of not just his year, but his career so far.
That was being entrusted by former Fulham women’s captain Ronnie Gibbons to reveal her story of sexual abuse suffered at the hands of Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Orstein said: “This was the first time the story had permeated from Harrods into football and Fulham, which was the club [Al-Fayed] owned.
“She showed such courage and trust in us to tell her story, to raise awareness for others, and ultimately what you want to do as a journalist is to give people a voice and a platform, and to tell stories and to serve the public, and add value.
“I feel in that story I did, so it was a sad and hard story, but it was also a highlight because it’s so much more important than many of the stories that go viral and catch the social media attention.
“It was profound and it’s why I do this job, and it’s why you get these awards.”
Ornstein’s contribution to sports journalism was felt everywhere at this year’s ceremony, with two of his scoops shortlisted in other categories while The Athletic won the evening’s Content Organisation prize.
His impact on football journalism has been noticed among the younger generations too, with those working at the event stopping to ask him for his tips on how to break into the industry.
While colleagues waited to congratulate him on his success, Ornstein made time to offer advice to young readers who view him as the one of the greatest sources for transfers, breaking news and everything in between.
He said: “Accuracy and integrity are more important than anything.
“It’s much more critical to be right than to be quick, or to be popular. Just to get a social media hit or to be the hero for one day with a rumour is not worth it.
“Brilliance stands the test of time, and there are so many young and aspiring journalists and people out there who have brilliance running through their veins.
“I didn’t come from any kind of high achieving, academic status, I didn’t get any undue help along the way, but I worked so ferociously hard and with the correct values and principles.
“Every single person out there that wants to be in that position has the ability to do that themselves, not only to match it but to go further.”