By Paul McElwee
THE counties of Donegal and Tyrone have a reason to celebrate after a journalist from the area picked up a prestigious award for his work.
Barry Whyte, Chief Reporter with Dublin-based radio station Newstalk, was the recipient of an Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) Award for his ‘on the ground’ coverage of last year’s riots in Dublin, which were sparked off by a multiple stabbing outside a school in the capital. He cut his teeth in journalism during stints in Highland as a ‘pup reporter’, following that with stints in BBC Radio Foyle and Ocean FM in Sligo before hitting the city lights of the capital.
Speaking of his October 4 win, Barry said: “I was a little shocked when they called out that we had won, but absolutely over the moon at the same time. I won gold in the News Story event category of the awards and I was just happy that we got nominated, but to win was a great surprise and it’s great to be recognised by my peers in the media.
“I don’t normally pay much attention to these award ceremonies and this year was my first time ever attending the awards. It’s lovely to be recognised and I’ve received many congratulations since the award win; all the hard work to get to this point has paid off.”
Barry said he believes it was the ‘on the ground’ reporting which clinched the win, reporting which happened in his words ‘by chance’.
He explained: “I ended up actually being in the middle of the Dublin riots in November last year. I was on my way home for lunch around midday; it was actually a pretty quiet news morning in the newsroom. On my way back to the newsroom, I noticed a load of Garda cars and ambulances heading towards O’Connell Street so, I obviously went to check it out. It was then I found out those three young children, including a five-year-old, who was seriously injured, and a care assistant had been stabbed. Within a few hours the crowds had begun to gather and tensions rose. Over the course of the night, those tensions rose resulting in the riots. I witnessed buses being burned, a Luas being burned and hijacked and Gardaí being attacked. I also witnessed every shop in O’Connell Street and Henry Street being looted. It was quite surreal to witness; I was certainly in the thick of it, that’s for certain.”
Barry has had zero time to rest on his laurels and savour the win, flying to Washington to cover Taoiseach Simon Harris’ visit with outgoing President Joe Biden.
Barry enjoyed his visit to the White House, saying it was “something I’d always wanted to do”.
Ever the cynical reporter, Barry said that he believes the visit was “nothing more than a photo op” for the Taoiseach before calling a much-anticipated General Election, which he thinks will be called next week.
In closing, Barry said he hopes his first win will “be the first of many” for him, and he also congratulated his colleagues on winning News Station of the Year on the same night.
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