Danny Fortson

One of the biggest business stories in the world this year was the stunning tragedy of Britsh tech tycoon Mike Lynch. After twelve years fighting allegations that he had orchestrated a massive financial fraud at what was once Britain’s biggest tech company, Autonomy, he finally went to trial in a federal court in San Francisco.

If the 59-year-old father of two lost his case, he faced spending the rest of his life in a US federal prison, and having his legacy as one of the great minds of his generation forever tarnished. He pulled off the near-impossible. He won his case. But weeks later, in a stunning tragedy, he and six other people died when his superyacht sank in the Mediterranean.

The story has captivated people around the world, generating thousands of articles and news programmes. One journalist, Danny Fortson, the west coast correspondent for the Sunday Times, told the story with an unmatched breadth and depth, and came to be seen globally as the authority on the unbelievable story.

This began in the lead up to the trial, when Fortson published Inside Mike Lynch’s Last Stand, (Feb 18, 2024). Drawing on interviews with Lynch’s inner circle, his detractors and hundreds of pages of legal documents, the piece expertly drew the contours of a highly complex legal saga, and laid the groundwork for the drama to unfold in the ensuing months. It also previewed holes in the government case that would, later, be exposed by Lynch’s legal team, leading to the shock acquittal on all counts.

When Lynch was declared not guilty of all charges, the world clamoured for the first interview. He fielded more than 80 requests. He chose to sit down with Fortson for a world-exclusive on July 27 (Mike Lynch: Flown to the US in chains, now he is free.. And Talking) because of the months Fortson spent covering the story in the lead up to the trial, the many days he logged in court, and the balance of the stories he published throughout the 11-week proceedings.

The resulting piece provided a searing, raw glimpse of one of the most prominent business figures in Europe at a defining moment of his life. Lynch’s tragic passing, just three weeks after publication, transformed the article into the definitive reference to Lynch amid the media blitz that followed. The article was directly quoted in hundreds of articles, television and radio pieces from Australia to Italy, Britain, America and beyond. This led to a third piece, a world exclusive of the funeral for Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, in London. (“No one wants to be here”: Tears and Poetry at Mike Lynch’s Funeral”, October 19). Fortson was the only journalist granted entry to the event, and rendered a heart-rending and unflinching portrayal of a ceremony attended by Nobel laureates, business leaders, family and friends.

From beginning to end Fortson, the first - and last - journalist to speak with Lynch in depth, told his story with unusual dexterity and skill.