The i Paper’s life-saving Killer Kitchens campaign wins Media Freedom Award

The i Paper‘s Killer Kitchens campaign has been named Campaign of the Year at the Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards. Senior reporter Joe Duggan’s two-year investigation into silicosis, a deadly lung disease caused by inhaling dust from cutting quartz kitchen worktops without sufficient protection, won the award at the Underglobe in London on 11 November. “This was campaigning and hugely impactful public interest journalism – prompting landmark HSE guidance, nationwide inspections and authorities declaring that dry cutting was unacceptable,” the judges said. The win follows Duggan’s victory in the News Media Association’s Making a Difference award, voted for by the public. Its chief executive, Theo Bamber, called his reporting “powerful, determined public-interest journalism”. The win follows Duggan’s victory in the News Media Association’s Making a Difference award (Photo: The i Paper) In 2024, Duggan revealed the UK’s first silicosis cases in young stonemasons. Around 60 cases and four deaths have since been detected. His reporting helped save lives by driving policy change, with the Health and Safety Executive guidance banning the “dry cutting” of quartz, and an inspection blitz that has led to almost 400 enforcement notices. There is a criminal investigation into one worker’s death and a parliamentary bill to outlaw unsafe cutting of engineered stone. The i Paper‘s reporting has also driven higher compensation for the families of workers who died, and a new industry kitemark joined by major companies Wren and Howdens. Killer Kitchens follows previous campaigning journalism from The i Paper. Last year, Northern Correspondent Steve Robson won the same Making a Difference award for exposing the second major Post Office IT scandal, Capture.Built on the testimony of former sub-postmasters and records he tracked down in court archives, his reporting led the Government to confirm Capture was likely to have been faulty, to launch a compensation scheme, and to refer 34 convictions to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. If you know of an injustice that should be investigated, we want to hear from you. Contact The i Paper‘s tip line at stories@theipaper.com. We’d love to hear from you.