Two ChronicleLive campaigns have been nominated for a national award highlighting the power of journalism. Campaigns to prevent child killers being released earlier into their prison sentence and to dual the A1 in Northumberland are both nominated in the News Media Association’s 2026 Making A Difference award.
Campaigns recognised for agenda-setting journalism
The prize showcases the biggest agenda-setting investigations, campaigns and scoops across the UK, shining a spotlight on the essential role that local and national newspapers play in championing important causes, holding decision-makers to account, and amplifying the voices of communities. You can show your support for quality journalism in the North East by voting for our campaigns by clicking here.
This August, ChronicleLive brought together devastated North East families and senior politicians to demand that the Government block criminals responsible for a child’s death from becoming eligible for the controversial early prison release programme. The campaign was launched in memory of seven-year-old Archie York and two-year-old Maya Chappell, whose young lives were cut short in heartbreaking tragedies that rocked our communities.
Archie and Maya's stories
Archie was killed in 2024 when an illegal drugs lab being run in the flat beneath his Newcastle home exploded, while Maya died after being violently shaken by her mother’s boyfriend at her home in Shotton Colliery in 2022. Both of their families were left horrified when it emerged that Reece Galbraith, the drug dealer who admitted to manslaughter in connection with Archie’s death, and Maya’s mother Dana Carr, who was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of child cruelty by neglect and allowing the death of a child, could become eligible for release at an earlier stage of their prison terms than had been originally planned because of efforts to free up space in overcrowded prisons.
Fighting alongside Archie’s mum Katherine and Maya’s great aunt Gemma, ChronicleLive took the issue directly to Andy Burnham and called on the Prime Minister face-to-face to block Galbraith and Carr from the early release programme. The campaign was successful, with Downing Street confirming on August 30 that offenders jailed for all forms of manslaughter and for causing or allowing the death of a child would be excluded from the changes to prison sentences.
A1 dualling campaign also nominated
Also nominated in the Making A Difference award is the campaign to end four decades of inaction and finally get the A1 in Northumberland dualled. The Chronicle, The Journal, and many others have been campaigning for improved safety on the A1 for more than 30 years, but successive Governments have failed to act – with tragic consequences.
A spate of tragedies this year, in which six people were killed on the road in three separate accidents just weeks apart, have shown the need for ministers to look again at the urgent need for upgrades. The campaign has joined with the likes of North East mayor Kim McGuinness, local MPs, and Northumberland County Council in making clear that doing nothing is no longer an option.
The campaign is calling for the Government to re-examine the business case for dualling, after a planned project between Morpeth and Ellingham was shelved in 2024 because it was deemed not value for money.
How to vote and what happens next
The Making a Difference public vote will run for two weeks, closing at 5.30pm on October 23, with the winners announced at a parliamentary reception on November 2, marking the launch of the annual Journalism Matters campaign. News Media Association chief executive Theo Bamber said: “Having sources of news and information has never been more important than it is today, yet government has too often failed to deliver the right interventions to create an ecosystem in which journalism can flourish.
“That has to change. Journalism Matters is a celebration of journalism’s vital role as part of our national infrastructure, and we call on politicians and policymakers to treat it accordingly. Journalism is not a luxury; it is a vital component of our democratic society.”
