Kent Online, the KM Group's website, and the Kent Messenger, its flagship newspaper, have been highly commended in the 2003 Newspaper Awards.

The event, organised by the Newspaper Society's Production Journal magazine, is open to national and regional newspaper groups across the UK.

Kent Online, runner-up for the second year running in the category for weekly newspapers on the World Wide Web, was praised for clarity and ease of navigation.

The KM won the Weekly Newspaper of the Year title in 2001 and 2002 and was short-listed again this year. Highly commending the paper, the judges said the KM was a "massive value for money package".

Channel 4 news anchorman Jon Snow hosted the ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London, on Wednesday.v