How the Herald Sun won an award without entering

At Thursday night’s newspaper of the year awards, One of the few major awards won by News Corp was for Best Cross Platform Brand for the Herald Sun in Melbourne.

On Friday, Mumbrella noticed the category of Best Cross Platform Brand did not exist in the original call for entries, and was not included in the shortlist published shortly before the event. Rival publishers told Mumbrella they did not recall entering the category.

We invited The Newspaper Works CEO Mark Hollands, who chaired the judging after the abrupt departure of his predecessor, to explain how the Herald Sun’s victory occurred.

Firstly, before you even ask . . . it was not a conspiracy to keep News happy. And honestly, they haven’t told me they’re unhappy. You get questions from editors occasionally but, to be honest, everyone is very respectful of the process, though I know a few editors grumble. Such is the nature of these things.