First recipients announced for new public interest journalism award

The first recipients of the David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship have been announced.

The award is presented by the Oxford International Centre for Publishing and Journalism (OICPJ) based at Oxford Brookes.

The first winner is freelance investigative journalist Jasmine Owens who will receive the full £15,000 to finish an investigation into critical healthcare in UK prisons. 

Jasmine said “Without this fellowship, I wouldn’t be able to spend more than the odd hour now and then on this investigation, as I’ve been doing for over a year now. It focuses on a critical prison healthcare problem which evidence suggests is contributing to avoidable deaths. Thanks to Oxford Brookes’ support, I’ll have time to thoroughly dig into causes, where responsibility lies, and solutions, crucial for any investigation that hopes to have an impact.”

The runner-up is Katie Dancey-Downs (pictured above) who will receive £3,000 towards her investigation into censorship in UK school libraries. Katie said: “As a freelance journalist, putting time and care into a long-term investigation is almost impossible without support, and so I’m incredibly grateful to the OICPJ for offering me this fellowship.

Beyond the financial support and opportunity to tap into the team’s experience, it’s a real boost to know that so many bright minds see the value of my investigation.”

Jasmine and Katie’s investigations were selected from a shortlist and a longlist. They were both interviewed by a panel that included OICPJ’s Director, Alexandra Shakespeare, MA Publishing Media Course Coordinator Polly Silk,  former Managing Director of Glasspool and Chair of the OICPJ Publishing Advisory Board, Jonathan Glasspool and UK Editor of DeSmog, Hazel Healy, who is a founding member of the OICPJ Journalism Advisory Board.

Commenting on Jasmine’s investigation, Hazel added: “Evidencing access to revelatory data and compelling case studies, plus a clear plan for further feasible rigorous research, Jasmine’s investigation will surface an original angle on prison neglect that will hold clear contemporary resonance for the UK public, particularly in light of the Government’s early prison release scheme.”

Alexandra said: “We were impressed by the quality of all of the applicants for this new fellowship. It was almost impossible to pick the winners and we are excited to see the impact of Jasmine and Katie’s investigations once they are completed.”

The fellowship is part of the legacy of the late David McClure, a news producer, author and journalist who investigated institutional privilege. He died from cancer in 2022. The fellowship aims to support public interest journalism that might otherwise go unpublished due to a lack of funding. 

The next round of funding is for applications now until May 2027.  Find out more on the OICPJ website.