Jane Fryer

Jane Fryer understands that some of the best, most moving stories are about normal people who have been thrust in the news cycle for the first – and possibly only – time. Her natural warmth sets people at ease and encourages them to open up. At the same time, her keen eye for detail means she does not shirk from asking uncomfortable questions to get below the surface of any topic.

In an interview with the mothers of young adults who had died from ketamine use, Fryer weaves together the stories of grieving parents with empathy and warmth alongside the facts and figures, and calls for tighter regulation of the drug.

Her interview with Only Fans creator Lily Philips, who had set herself the challenge of

sleeping with 1,000 men in 24 hours, manages to be searching and insightful rather than sneering or judgemental. Fryer lets Philips do the talking, revealing a compelling if troubling portrait of a bright young woman, while reminding readers of the reality and potential long-term costs of Philip’s choices.

And a surprisingly heart-warming, if at times bizarre, feature on a new generation of funeral directors lifts the lid on what happens when our loved ones die.

Judges’ comments: “Empathetic, human interest stories that give readers the details they want to know without straying into crass voyeurism… One of Fleet Street's warmest and most entertaining writers.”