A radio project marking the 40th anniversary of the Bradford City stadium fire has been recognised as some of the country’s best student journalism.
NUJ Leeds and West Yorkshire branch member Adonis Storr (pictured above) was named winner of the Best Radio Report category at the BJTC Awards, with judges praising the strong storytelling, use of music and moving quotes in his report.
It was produced while was Adonis, now graduated, was working towards an MA in Journalism at Leeds Trinity University.
He said: “The fortnight of radio newsdays that formed part of the live production module of the Masters in Journalism fell in May last year, at the same time as the 40th anniversary of the Bradford City stadium fire. The radio report began as part of a short bulletin but as I heard the testimony I felt increasingly connected to the story and the report became an extracurricular project.”
Unlike most other stories he had worked on, this piece was rooted in the past as much as it was the present day.
“Asking people to revisit a tragedy like this was unique,” Adonis said. “Forty-year-old emotional wounds were opened up, the interviewees I spoke to were still very much haunted by the event. It made me realise how much delicacy and care is needed when dealing with trauma.
“I spent a long time after with the interviewees making sure they were OK. Then after, took great care to ensure the soundtrack was fitting – editing a track by Moby from his mobygratis project.”
As the training accreditation body for broadcasting, the BJTC hosts its annual awards to celebrate outstanding TV, radio, online, podcast and social media stories produced by students on industry-accredited journalism courses.
And the 2025 ceremony proved to be a strong night for nominees studying in Leeds, with a number of others recognised as runners-up in their categories.
They were:
- Saffron Carroll, Leeds Beckett University – Best TV Documentary for What Does the Greatest Sporting Show on Earth Look Like to Someone Who Can’t See It?
- Reese Wake, University of Leeds – Best Radio Documentary for Under Inked Skin
- Jessica Fry, University of Leeds – Best Podcast for The Night Shift
- BA Journalism, University of Leeds – Best TV Newsday for their newsday held on 14 February 2025
On his win, Adonis said: “It is always nice to have your hard work validated through public recognition. I felt that I had done justice to the testimonies I took – and that was the most important thing to me – that the people I interviewed could listen to my report and know they had been really listened to and they had been respected and their words were faithfully conveyed.
“This win was for the 56 people who died, the over 250 who were injured and the 1,000s who were there that were left with invisible wounds. And I thought of them when my name was called.”
Adonis, who volunteers as NUJ Leeds & West Yorkshire Branch’s student liaison officer, is looking for work now his studies are complete.
He said: “The job market is especially difficult for graduates and entry-level roles are rare. But I am available immediately and willing to relocate to pursue my dream of becoming a journalist.”