Sweeney has won several awards throughout his career, including: 1998: What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year prize for reports on human rights abuses in Algeria.
Sweeney har fått ett flertal utmärkelser under sin journalistkarriär, bland annat dessa 1998: What the Papers Say Utnämnd till årets journalist för sina rapporter om brott mot mänskliga rättigheter i Algeriet.