International Media Awards
The International Media Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in London to celebrate high standards of Middle East journalism held by the International Council for Press and Broadcasting, a subsidiary body of the Next Century Foundation.
The awards are presented at a ceremony every year to honour editors and journalists and are held in recognition of the vital role that the media can play in contributing to understanding, without which no peace process is possible. William Morris, Secretary General of the Next Century Foundation explained: "By publicly recognising the efforts of these editors and journalists, some of whom have put their careers and even their lives at risk through their commitment to reporting truthfully and responsibly, we hope to help raise the standards of journalism in reporting on the Arab Israeli conflict"[1]
The awards are divided into several categories. The Peace through Media prizes are for senior journalists who have contributed to better understanding throughout their careers, consisting of the symbolic gift of an olive tree. The Cutting Edge prizes are for journalists recognised for their high standards of analysis and reporting, often in conflict situations, consisting of a cash donation. The Breakaway prize is for young journalists who have already begun to make an impact at the beginning of their careers.
The 2005 awards
The 2005 awards were held on the 19th April 2005 at the British House of Lords. For the first ceremony, only three awards were handed out and not divided into separate categories. The winners were:
- Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times. In recognition of his high standards of reporting and the quality of his news analysis, which of itself promotes understanding.
- Ari Rath, former Editor and Managing Director of The Jerusalem Post; currently News Editor of Partners for Peace, the voice of the Copenhagen Group. His award is in recognition of a lifetime of achievement and tireless work for rapprochement and peace.
- Abdul Rahman al Rashed, Head of Al Arabia Satellite News TV, Dubai and former Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq al Awsat. His award was in recognition of his efforts to maintain the highest standards of professional integrity in countering incitement and disinformation.
The 2006 awards
In 2006 the International Media Council Awards of the Next Century Foundation were presented at a ceremony on Thursday, 9 March 2006. The awards ceremony in 2006 was the first awards were divided into different categories and marked the introduction of the Cutting Edge prize.
The Main International Media Council Prize:
- Jihad al Khazen, Editor at Large, Al Hayat, for his significant contributions to informed and enlightened debate in the Arab media throughout a long and distinguished career.
- Danny Levi Rubinstein, Haaretz, in recognition of his passionate engagement with Arab issues, and uncompromising editorial contributions.
- Peter David, Foreign Editor, The Economist, in recognition of the consistently original, well-sourced, informative Middle East coverage of The Economist.
- Caroline Hawley, BBC Television, in recognition of her sober, balanced and informative reporting from Iraq, and her sensitivity to local culture and concerns.
- Salah Ali Sindi, Editor In Chief, Istithmar Al Arabia Magazine, in recognition of the consistently progressive and enlightened editorial policy of his increasingly influential publication.
Cutting Edge Awards:
- Mohamed Chebaro, Al Arabieh
- Yoav Stern, Columnist on Palestinian Affairs, Haaretz
- Martin Asser, BBC News Website Correspondent
- Jane Kinninmont, Middle East Editor, Business Monitor International
The 2007 awards
The 3rd International Media Awards was held in March 2007 at the British House of Lords and hosted by Lord Stone of Blackheath.
The International Media Council Prize:
- Rafik Halabi - Channel 2 (Israel), proposed June Jacobs, The International Council of Jewish Women)
- Michael Binyon - The Times (proposer Adel Darwish of the Daily Mail)
The Cutting Edge Prize for an outstanding Newcomer to Journalism:
- Sami Abdul Shafi - The Independent (Proposer Turi Munthe, Rusi)
- Jack Hugi - Maariv, Israel (Proposer Rafik Halabi, Israel)
- Louisa Brooke, Senior world affairs analyst, BBC, proposed by Mike Wooldridge of the BBC
The Patrons Award: - a special honorary award for lifetime achievement nominated and chosen by the Patrons
The 2008 awards
The 4th International Media Councils Awards ceremony was held in The Oxford and Cambridge Club, Pall Mall on Wednesday 7 May 2008. The night was hosted by Lord Stone of Blackheath and Ms Dalia Salaam Risani of Hood Hood books.
The Peace Through Media Awards
- Yehuda Litani, Editor, Al Usbua, Channel 2 Israel and Columnist, Yedioth Aharanoth and Haaretz, the prize was presented by Ian Black, Middle East Editor, The Guardian.
- Roula Khalaf, The Financial Times. In recognition of her high standards of reporting and the quality of her news analysis. Prize presented by Ms Annie Henshaw, Director of Olives et al.
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Bernard Josephs, Political Editor, The Jewish Chronicle. In recognition of his efforts to improve understanding of the Middle East as well as his work against disinformation and incitement to hatred. Prize presented by Rabbi Herschel Gluck.
- Special Award for an outstanding contribution to broadcasting
- Damien Charton, France 24, for reporting during fighting in Gaza in 2007. Prize presented by William Morris, Secretary General The Next Century Foundation.
- Zeina Fayadh, Program editor and Presenter, ANB Satellite Television. Prize presented by Ibtisam Auchi
Cutting Edge Award
- Adel Darwish, columnist, Daily Mail; TV commentator. Prize presented by Louisa Brooke, BBC
- Robert Tait, Iran Correspondent, The Observer. Prize presented by David Gardner, Financial Times.
Mina Al-Oraibi, Sharq al Awsat. Prize presented Mrs Ibtisam Auchi.
Breakaway Award
- Wijdan Mahdi Ali Alsalih, columnist in Friendship magazine; freelance journalist based in Basrah.
Two Awards were not presented this year but postponed until next year. The winners were prevented from leaving the war zones on which they report:
- Mr Sami Abdul Shafi, Gaza Correspondent, The Independent and The Guardian.
- Saif Al-Khayat, Correspondent, Elaph, Baghdad.
The 2009 awards
The 5th International Media Awards ceremony was held at the London Athenaeum on May 11, 2009 and hosted by Lord Stone of Blackheath[2].
The Peace Through Media Awards
- Dr Badrakan Al-Sindi, Editor in chief Al-Ta’akhi Newspaper ( Iraq ).
- Mick Fealty, Editor and writer of Slugger O’Toole Blog ( Ireland ).
Lifetime Achievement Award (Honorary)
- Khaled Kishtainy, Iraqi journalist of Sharq Al Awsat newspaper.
- Kamran Karadaghi, Iraqi journalist of Al Hayat newspaper.
Cutting Edge Award
- Oren Yakobovich, Israel's B'Tselem's "Shooting Back" Programme.
- Shlomo Eldar, Channel 10 Israel whose live broadcast many believe contributed to the end of Israel's recent Gaza campaign.
- Faisal J. Abbas, a journalist of Sharq al Awsat and blogger for The Huffington Post. He was the first Saudi Arabian to win this award, this has generated much coverage in the Arab media.
- Jaafar al-Ahmar, Lebanese journalist of Al Hayat.
Breakaway Award
Two Breakaway Awards for most promising new talent.
- Abdulrahman Abdulla, Al Sharqiya Satellite TV.
- Potkin Azarmehr, blogger for a secular democratic Iran.
The 2010 awards
The sixth International Media Awards ceremony was held at a gala night in central London on Saturday 8 May 2010[3].
Outstanding Contribution to Peace Award
The Peace through Media Award
- Samia Nakhoul, Reuters Middle East Editor
Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award
- Ben Wedeman is CNN’s Senior International Correspondent based in Cairo.
The Cutting Edge Award
- Itai Anghel, senior correspondent for the weekly current affairs program “UVDA” on Israel’s Channel 2 television
- Moeen Al Hilou, Gaza Producer for Israel's Channel 10 TV, as well as being a director for the Hebrew News Department at Palestine TV
The Breakaway Award
Outstanding Contribution to New Media (The Bloggers’ Award)
- Benny Ziffer, literary editor of Haaretz since 1987. More recently his blogs “Lo BeBeit Sifrenu” and “Dressed to Provoke” have risen to prominence in the Hebrew blogosphere.
MBI Lifetime Achievement Award
- Jim Muir, BBC Middle East Correspondent. Having begun his involvement with the region in Beirut in 1975, he is now based there again, focusing on issues both within Lebanon (particularly Hezbollah) and in the wider Middle East, traveling regularly to cover Iraq.
The 2011 awards
The seventh International Media Awards ceremony was held at a gala night in central London on Saturday 9th April 2011[4].
Outstanding Contribution to Peace Award
- Linda Menhuin is a founding member of the Society for Peace with Syria and an advisory board member of the Smart Middle East Forum[5]
The Peace through Media Award
- Daoud Quttab is founder/general director of AmmanNet and director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University[6][7]
Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award
The Cutting Edge Award
- Falah Al Thahabi is an Iraqi journalist and the current managing director at Alhurra TV[11]
- Dilawar Khan Wazir is the BBC Urdu Service Correspondent for the tribal areas and Waziristan[12]
- Adel Zanoon works for AFP & ANN, Gaza[15]
The Breakaway Award
- Alice Fordham is a Baghdad based freelance journalist working for The Times, Christian Science Monitor and as a correspondent for The Economist[16]
The Press Freedom Award
- Feras Kilani is a journalist for BBC Arabic[17][18]
- Goktay Koraltan is a cameraman for BBC Arabic[19][20]
- Chris Cobb Smith is a production co-ordinator for BBC Arabic[21][22]
Photos from the event can be viewed at http://internationalmediaawards2011.blogspot.com/
References
External links