Emily Morgan honoured at medical journalism awards

We all knew how talented she was, and so did our viewers who watched her night after night before Covid, during Covid and after Covid.

And it's why we are so pleased that Emily Morgan, our dear friend and colleague who passed away in May, has been recognised by her peers.

Last night at the Medical Journalists' Association Awards, Emily, who was ITV's Health Editor when she died, was awarded 'Editor of the Year'.

The awards recognise the achievements of health and medical journalists in both print and broadcasting, and the judges praised her reporting after reviewing her most recent work covering the NHS winter health crisis in the months before her death.

In their remarks on the entry, the judges noted: "The pieces show a health editor at the top of her game in British broadcasting.

"They demonstrated exemplary reporting and a dexterous grasp of a complicated beat.

"She got to the heart of the story and knew how best to make sure viewers would understand the nuances."

Emily continued working and broadcasting for ITV News until her diagnosis with lung cancer in April.

She even completed an assignment to Pakistan in her final months when she reported on the devastating impact of the floods there as part of her science brief.

Award judges said Emily "had an ability to achieve instant rapport driven by compassion and empathy."

And throughout the most recent winter crisis, which followed her compelling reporting during the coronavirus pandemic, the panel praised her "clear analysis of complex health problems" and remarked how she was able to deliver "everything wrong about the healthcare system in the UK in just one package."

Emily's husband, Rob, collected the award on her behalf and spoke of his pride in all Emily had achieved.

ITV News announced Emily's death in May which came only weeks after her cancer diagnosis.

She was 45 and a mother to two young daughters.

The audience gave Emily Morgan a standing ovation.

We continue to miss her in our newsroom but we are so pleased for her family that her work has been recognised in this way.