Investors

Below are example of news stories aired in each of the ITV regions in 2009

Wales Tonight

E.coli

In 2009, Wales Tonight featured extensive coverage into the report on the worst ever e.coli outbreak in Wales, which resulted in the death of a five year-old boy in 2005 who died after eating contaminated meat at his school. Wales Tonight told the story of how the butcher who supplied the contaminated meat, tried to prevent environmental health officers making proper checks on his premises, falsified records and misled and lied to them.

The programme highlighted the plight of eighty of the affected families and their decision to take legal action against the butcher. It also investigated what will be done in the future to ensure children in Wales can eat school dinners without the risk of contamination.

South Hook LNG

Wales Tonight aired a report on the new state-of-the-art liquefied natural gas terminal at South Hook LNG, Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire which became operational as part of the nine billion pound project to supply Britain with gas.

The programme featured officials from the company as well as local people and protestors who have been fighting for the plant to be relocated for the past three years.

Anglesey Aluminium

The closure of the Anglesey Aluminium smelting plant in North Wales and loss of 400 jobs was a big news story for the whole of Wales. For nearly forty years it had been at the heart of the community, providing jobs for people who often worked alongside family members.

Wales Tonight featured the people who were affected by the closure, as well as the supportive Welsh Assembly Members and Members of Parliament in the area. It also looked back at the history of the plant and what the future held for local communities. The programme has re-visited the community since the initial programme to see how their lives have changed.

Anglia

Homecoming demonstrations

We covered the dramatic stand-off between Muslim protesters and supporters of the Royal Anglian Regiment during a homecoming parade in Luton in March 2009. Over the weeks that followed, Anglia Tonight reported on the aftermath including court action and counter demonstrations. Reports also focused on the impact on the diverse community in Luton including interviews with Muslims who are opposed to the protesters’ views.

Recession reporting

Anglia ran a series of monthly news features of how the recession had affected the lives of ordinary East Anglians. It centred on a community rugby team in the small Suffolk town of Haverhill. It used the real-life stories of the team members off the pitch as they struggled to run small businesses and find or keep jobs and looked at how the downturn was affecting their family life.

Meridian

Channel Tunnel

One of the biggest stories of the year in the ITV Meridian region was the chaos caused in the Channel Tunnel after snow brought Eurostar express trains to a standstill in the middle of the channel tunnel. Thousands of passengers were trapped and hundreds of thousands had their Christmas plans disrupted after the operators stopped all services. Meridian Tonight covered the story extensively and followed up when the independent report was published.

Granada

Hillsborough 20

The 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster was a symbolic moment in the campaign for justice. Granada Reports broadcast an entire half hour of the emotional service at Anfield and the calls for a fresh investigation.

Soldiers abroad

Throughout 2009 we reported on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where thousands of troops from the North West are fighting. This included a report marking the day the War in Iraq ended and a Christmas report which joined together families in the UK with their loved ones in Afghanistan.

Rhys Jones

Two years on from the murder of eleven year old Rhys Jones in Liverpool, Granada Reports featured the campaigns that continue in the city in response to the tradegy. This included coverage of the Jones family campaign to build a community centre in the area to enable other children to play safely. We were the only TV broadcaster to cover the launch of a special purple Everton football shirt – the colours of the Rhys Jones campaign – that was auctioned for charity.

Yorkshire

Afghanistan

Fourteen servicemen from the Yorkshire region were killed in Afghanistan in 2009, and ITV covered each repatriation. We also covered the training of officers at the Catterick army garrison before they left for their tour of duty and all the homecoming marches in major towns and cities.

Edlington murder case

In 2009 two boys, aged 10 and 11, were convicted for a horrific attack on a young boy at Edlington (near Doncaster). The two children had terrorised Edlington to such an extent that the residents were too scared to talk about them after arrest, and, even after their conviction, interviews were given in silhouette. We aired a full half hour when the boys were sentenced for an indefinite term.

Central

Fiona Pilkington

Fiona Pilkington, 38, from Leicestershire killed herself and her mentally disabled daughter Francecca 18 in a blazing car after years of torment from local thugs. The deaths prompted questions in the House of Commons and Government action on anti-social behavior. It is an on-going story with police officers being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

West & Westcountry

Trial of Andrew Ibrahim

Andrew Ibrahim, a British Muslim from Westbury-on-Trym was jailed for life after being found guilty of making explosives and preparing a suicide bomb attack on the Mall Galleries shopping centre in Bristol. He was only caught after members of the Muslim community alerted police to his suspicious behaviour - the first time this has happened anywhere in the UK. We gave extensive coverage to the trial and produced a 30 minute special on the day of his conviction.

Vanessa George abuse case

Vanessa George, a nursery school worker from Plymouth, was jailed indefinitely for abusing children in her care and swapping pornographic images of children. We covered the impact of the case on the small community and the crown court trial and we carried out an investigation into how difficult it is for police to detect those who use mobile phones to facilitate criminal activity. Our evidence is now being looked at by child protection officers,

Repatriations at Wootton Bassett

The repatriations at Wootton Bassett were one of the defining images of 2009. We covered every ceremony, highlighting the local perspective with interviews with community members such as the bell-ringer, the publican, the florist, the chairman of the Royal British Legion. We gave extensive coverage of the town being honoured in the national Military awards - the Millies.

ITV reported on the Islam4uk planned march and the BNP leader Nick Griffin’s visit to Wooten Basset in a sensitive way, reflecting community concerns that the event was being hijacked for political purposes.