Award for refugee report

A BBC Radio Shetland reporter has won a prize at this year’s Refugee Festival Scotland Media Awards.

Daniel Lawson picked up the award on Tuesday night at the Corinthian Club in Glasgow – the venue being changed at short notice from the Glasgow School of Art, which burned down again last week.

The Scottish Refugee Council organises the awards annually to “celebrate excellent media coverage of issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers” and “honour the work of journalists who report fairly, accurately and with depth of understanding in this field”.

Lawson’s reporting focused on the Shetland Islands Council decision to buy two houses for refugees in the isles last year, after signing up to the resettlement scheme in 2015. No refugees have actually been housed yet.

Lawson said later: “We always like a bit of fair and honest coverage, so it is nice to be recognised for that.

“There were some very interesting speakers from the Red Cross and Amnesty International and a few refugee families as well, so it was nice to hear their side of things.”