The Independent named best national news site at Online Media Awards

Site also wins best media podcast and highly commended for best use of social media

The Independent recorded its best ever performance for UK unique visitors in December, according to Comscore data (The Independent)

The Independent has been named best national news site at the Online Media Awards.

In a triumphant evening, the website also scooped an award for best media podcast and came highly commended in the best use of social media category.

Editor Christian Broughton said the site’s double win showed high-quality journalism was “alive and well” a year after the renowned title made the switch to digital-only publishing.

“The Independent's outstanding team has shone this year following the decision to focus entirely on our online publishing,” he said.

“We put our readers first, and the website, social media accounts and the Daily Edition app show that quality journalism – politics, international reporting, trustworthy news – is alive and well.”

The Independent saw off competition from highly commended BBC News and nominees ITV News, Middle East Eye, Mirror Online and Newsweek to claim victory in the best national news site category.

The site’s culture podcast Kernels, a fortnightly dive into the world of film and TV, launched in January and has already welcomed actors, directors and producers including Matthew McConaughey, Sir Patrick Stewart and Jessica Chastain.

Culture editor Christopher Hooton, who hosts the award-winning podcast, said the show’s next step will be to feature film crew members not often heard from, such as the camera operator, director of photography or assistant director.

The Independent – Britain’s most-shared news site on Facebook, according to editorial analytics agency PublishCheck – was highly commended for its use of social media, narrowly losing out on the top spot to LBC Digital.

The title was the most-shared news brand in the world on Brexit, the only UK publisher in the top-10 most engaged sites reporting on the US election in November, and published the most shared Facebook post in the world about the Rio Olympics.