Former RTÉ journalist and anchorman turned entrepreneur Mark Little received this year’s Media Trailblazer Award at the Media Awards 2026.
Presenting the award, Andy Macken, head of agency sales with Media Central, part of Bauer Media said that the award honour “someone whose career has not simply followed the evolution of media — but has, in many ways, helped define it.”
“This year’s Media Trailblazer Award recognises an individual whose journey has taken him from the frontlines of global journalism to the cutting edge of digital innovation… someone who has continually challenged what media can be, how it works, and where it goes next.”
Macen added that for “over two decades, he was one of Ireland’s most trusted journalistic voices — a reporter, foreign correspondent and presenter who brought audiences closer to some of the biggest stories shaping our world. From Washington to war zones, from elections to international crises, his reporting combined authority, clarity and a deep understanding of the human story behind the headlines. He became RTÉ’s first Washington Correspondent, earned Irish TV Journalist of the Year, and as anchor of Prime Time, became a defining voice in Irish current affairs.”
But trailblazers don’t stand still, Macken said.
“At a time when social media was beginning to transform journalism forever, he saw the future before most of us knew it had arrived. He stepped away from the security of mainstream broadcasting to build something entirely new — founding Storyful, the world’s first social news agency, pioneering the verification of eyewitness content in the digital age and changing how newsrooms across the world source and trust content online. That vision would lead to Storyful being acquired by News Corp, cementing its place as one of Ireland’s most influential media start-ups.”
Macken highlighted how he then went on to “shape global media partnerships at Twitter, before co-founding Kinzen — using AI and editorial intelligence to tackle misinformation and protect the quality of public conversation in the digital age, a mission so relevant it would later be acquired by Spotify. “
