The International Media Awards 2012: Nominations Shortlist

The International Media Awards 2012

SHORTLISTED NOMINATIONS

(Note that the panel reserves the right to change the categorisation of names on this list)

The Lifetime Achievement Award

1. ANN LESLIE writes for The Daily Mail newspaper. She spent her early years in India and Pakistan, and was schooled in India and England. Her career in journalism began at the Daily Express (Manchester) news desk in 1962. Leslie moved to the Daily Mail in 1967 where she now works as their foreign correspondent. Her political reports have covered many wars and conflicts around the world. Significant events on which she reported include the fall of the Berlin Wall, the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela's final walk to freedom. Leslie has also participated frequently on BBC discussion programmes including Head to Head, Stop the Week, Newsnight Review and Dateline London.
2. PAT LANCASTER of Middle East Magazine. Pat joined a Fleet Street news agency specialising in the Middle East in the late 1970s. She has worked for a Gulf government news agency, travelled extensively in the region conducting interviews for a selection of British and Arab daily newspapers and magazines and is the author of three books. She was the deputy editor of Gulf States Newsletter before joining The Middle East magazine in the late 1980s, becoming editor in 1995. Pat purchased the title for which she worked in 2011 and is now the magazine's editor-proprietor.
3. ROGER COHEN - Columnist for the International Herald Tribune and New York Times. He has worked as a foreign correspondent in fifteen different countries. Roger Cohen joined The New York Times in 1990. He was a foreign correspondent for more than a decade before becoming acting foreign editor on Sept. 11, 2001, and foreign editor six months later. Since 2004, he has written a column for The Times-owned International Herald Tribune, first for the news pages and then, since 2007, for the Op-Ed page. In 2009 he was named a columnist of The New York Times.

The Peace Through Media Awards

1. DAVID LANDAU is the Israel correspondent for the Economist. He was formerly the editor of Haaretz newspaper. English-born, he only started working in the Hebrew language late in his career and as a strictly Orthodox Jew has always been a unique figure amidst the generally secular left-wing peace camp in Israel, but has never let others define him or obstruct his work towards peace. David is a superb campaigning journalist and editor who has showed himself to be consistently committed to peace and justice in the Middle East throughout his career; and never afraid of courting controversy or speaking his mind.
2. DONALD MACINTYRE has been The Independent's Jerusalem correspondent since 2004. Donald Macintyre was the paper's Chief Political Commentator for eight years and before that Political Editor of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday. He has written for the Daily Express, Sunday Times, Times and Sunday Telegraph.
3. GIDEON LEVY is a journalist and editor for Haaretz newspaper, and is a vociferous critic of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. Levy's weekly column in Haaretz, "The Twilight Zone", deals with the politically and emotionally charged subject of the hardships of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, and their conflicts with Israel's military and with Jewish settlers. He has been called everything from a "propagandist for the Hamas" to a "heroic journalist". In addition to his work at Haaretz, Levy has published a book, hosted a television show, and edited or written documentaries and other programs.
4. JEREMY BOWEN is the Middle East Editor of the BBC and has been a special correspondent for BBC Television News since March 2003. He previously co-presented BBC One's Breakfast for two years after its launch in October 2000. As a seasoned war correspondent, he has reported from more than 70 countries, covering conflicts in the Gulf, El Salvador, Lebanon, the West Bank, Afghanistan, Croatia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia and Rwanda. Jeremy became the Middle East correspondent in 1995.
5. LYSE DOUCET is a BBC News special correspondent and is a presenter and correspondent for both BBC World Service radio and BBC World News television. She has interviewed the President of Syria, Bashar al Assad, the UN's outgoing Secretary General Kofi Annan, King Abdullah of Jordan, the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi. She played a key role in BBC coverage of the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, the war in Iraq in 2003, and Afghanistan in 2001.
6. MANSOUR AL JAMRI, Editor of Al Wasat newspaper, Bahrain. Son of the spiritual leader of Bahrain Sheik Abdul-Amir Al-Jamri. After being forced to resign by the government in April 2011, he was restored to his previous position by the Board of Directors. Widely credited with being the first Bahraini newspaper to voice opposition views.
7. MARWAN BISHARA, Al Jazeera English's senior political analyst and the editor and host of the program ‘Empire', which examines global powers and their agendas. He was previously a professor of International Relations at the American University of Paris and a fellow at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes et Sciences Sociales. Bishara's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, The Guardian, Le Monde and The Nation, among other outlets.
8. MOHAMMAD SHAFI is a distinguished Egyptian journalist who has written for Sharq al-Awsat over the past several years. His articles are of ground breaking interest. He was one of the first Arab journalists to enter Kurdish Iraq and report from there. He has also travelled to Afghanistan and Baghdad among other such areas to report on stories on a first hand basis. He covers issues from political intrigue to affairs of great social and political import.
9. NADIM LADKI, Editor in Chief of the Beirut Daily Star.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/Oct/30/Veteran-journalist-ke... Veteran journalist Nadim Ladki was made Editor-in-Chief of the Beirut Daily Star in November 2010. Ladki who was previously Reuters bureau chief, news and television, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, has 24 years behind him in senior positions in the media with extensive experience in the affairs of the region, covering political, economic, social and other topics.
10. SMADAR PERRY - Middle East editor at Yediot Aharonot daily newspaper. Born in Haifa, Mrs. Perry has been reporting on the peace process since the historic visit of The Late President Anwar Sadat of Egypt to Jerusalem November 1977. Perry used her frequent visits to Egypt to expose senior Egyptian politicians to the Israeli readers of Yediot Ahronot, the largest newspaper in Israel. Later Mrs. Perry did similar work from Jordan and other Muslim countries. Mrs. Perry has conducted numerous exclusive interviews with: The Late President Sadat and President Mubarak of Egypt, The Late King Hussein and King Abdullah The Second of Jordan, The Late Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas of The Palestinian Authority, and President Boteflikah of Algiers. In addition to daily reporting and news analysis Mrs. Perry writes a weekly op ed.

The Cutting Edge Awards

1. EMMA HURD, Emma is Sky's Africa correspondent, previously based in Jerusalem and Washington DC. She reported from Manhattan on the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Centre bombings. She then made the journey to Pakistan to cover the mounting refugee crisis resulting from the air strikes in neighbouring Afghanistan. Emma joined Sky in 1996 and her work has taken her to Central America to report on the El Salvador earthquake and the devastation caused by hurricane Mitch, to Kosovo and Macedonia to cover the war and the plight of the refugees, and to the Galapagos Islands to report on the oil spill which threatened their unique ecosystem. In 1998 Emma found herself being tear-gassed live on air as she reported on football violence during the World Cup in France. Before joining Sky Emma spent five years working for the BBC in regional television.
2. HARRIET SHERWOOD of the Guardian Jerusalem was previously foreign editor and home editor. Along with covering stories on developments in Israel and in the region, she runs a blog called "Views from Jerusalem" on everyday life in the Israeli capitol city. Before covering foreign affairs, she was a sports correspondent. Her blog is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/view-from-jerusalem-with-harriet-sherwoo... .
3. MAZIN LATIF is an Iraqi journalist and author. Trained in Psychology and literature, he has published many articles and op-eds in Iraqi magazines and newspapers including Almada, Alsabah and Dawlat Alqnoun. He is a member of the editorial forums of Alhiwar Almutamddin, Aljiran and Nathir and others. He previously managed the research centre of the Iraqi Satellite Channel. Latif has written and published many books: Almuthaqaf Altabie (Baghdad 2009), Ali Alwardi and the Iraqi Project (co-authored with Dr. Ali Thweini, 2009), Al-Iraq-Hiwar Albada'il (Baghdad 2009), Muthaqafoun Iraqioun - Hiwayat Nakhbawiya (Baghdad 2010), and Al Ikhwan Almuslimoun (The Muslim Brotherhood) in Iraq. He is currently working on a book entitled Iraqi Jews Immigration or Deportation.
4. MSHARI AL ZAYDI is Opinion Page Editor at Asharq Al-Awsat, to which he also contributes a weekly column. Mshari made his name with the Majalat Al-Majallah magazine, where he participated in discussions about Saudi conflicts before 9/11, including discussion on Shiaa minority issues, women's rights, and Islamic fatwas. He went on to work for a number of other Saudi newspapers, including Al Madina and Al Watan, which he joined upon its launch in 2000. He has been a guest on numerous news and current affairs programs as an expert on Islamic extremism, going on to participate in the 3rd round of the Saudi National Debate in Mecca. As a result of his outspoken opinions, he was targeted in a terror plot uncovered after members of the Al Khaldiyah terrorist cell were arrested. http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=19692
5. PAUL WOOD - BBC correspondent. Recently, he covered the developments in Syria, with inside reporting from the city of Homs. In August 2011, he was in Libya, covering the advance of the protestors' troops against Gaddafi. In 2005 he was appointed BBC defence correspondent. He was in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and in Fallujah during the battle for the city. In 2004 he covered the devastating suicide attacks on pilgrims in Karbala. He was previously the BBC's Belgrade reporter, filing stories from behind Serbian lines while travelling with Kosovar guerrillas during the NATO bombing in June 1999. He reported also from Croatia, Bosnia, and Macedonia, Chechnya, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Sudan, and Darfur. He was previously a correspondent for the BBC in Northern Ireland and a producer in the World Service newsroom at Bush House.
6. RINA MAZLIACH - Journalist Channel 2. Political correspondent for Channel 2, working at the News Company sector. With its creation in 1993, Channel 2 broke up the 25-year Channel 1 monopoly in Israel broadcasting, enhancing pluralism with the first commercial channel financed by franchisees. Along with work as TV and radio commentator, she took part in several events aimed at promoting peace and dialogue in the Arab-Israel struggle. She is particularly critical of Israel's Prime Minister, defining Netanyahu as the most ideologically committed Prime Minister of Israel of the last decades.
7. STEWART RAMSAY - Stuart Ramsay is Sky News Chief Correspondent and reports on all the major domestic and foreign stories. Ramsay has been praised for his coverage of the Pakistan Earthquake, for his coverage of the Sudan crisis and for his coverage of the Liberia war. Ramsay has covered nine wars from Chechnya through Africa, and the Middle East. Since 2003, Stuart has covered Iran and Afghanistan respectively, both as an embedded and an independent reporter. In 2011 he spent four days reporting from Homs http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16124327
8. SUE LLOYD ROBERTS BBC for her work in Syria and lifelong contribution to journalism
http://www.bbc.co.uk/journalism/blog/2011/06/undercover-in-syria-how-sue... Reporting for Newsnight, Sue was one of the first journalists into Homs. Television reporter Sue Lloyd Roberts, 46, is a special correspondent for the BBC World Affairs Unit. She has also worked for ITN and Channel 4 news.
9. YOAV LEMMER - AFP (Agence France Presse) JRI (Journalist Reporter Des Image) Born in Jerusalem 1967. At the age of 22, managed to freelance for almost all Israeli newspapers, including Yediot Aharonot daily, Ha'aretz daily, the Jerusalem Post. In 1991, started working for AFP, covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Continued ties with Ha'aretz and with the French photo agency SIPA press. In 1999 was based in South Africa as an AFP staff shooter. In 2000, covered Mozambique. In 2003, returned to Israel, and was based by AFP in Tel Aviv. In 2004, was promoted to Journalist Reporter Des Image. Continues to work in the West Bank in video, producing feature stories and news coverage. http://yoavlemmer-afp.photoshelter.com/gallery-list - press: slide show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_GeV7WJ58U&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6WMH5Qn3ms&feature=youtube_gdata_player
10. YOSRI FOUDA, Head of Al Jazeera's London Bureau, is a journalist who initially worked for the BBC's short-lived Arabic-subsidiary covering the ongoing struggle in Bosnia with veteran reporter Martin Bell. He currently works for the independent Cairo-based ON TV, which is largely owned by Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris. He is the co-author of 'Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Attack The World Has Ever Seen', published in 2003 by Arcade Publishing.
11. ZVI YECHEZKEELI - Arab affairs Channel 10. He is head of the Arab desk at Israeli News 10, the news division of Israel 10. Born in 1970, after his military service, he joined Israel's Army Radio as the Gaza and West Bank reporter and occasionally contributed to the Israeli Channel 1's "Yoman" with various reports. In 2002, he left the Israel Defense Forces Radio to join News 10 as the head of Desk for Arab Affairs. Today, he takes an active and integral part in News 10's London & Kirschenbaum with reports about Arabia and the Middle East. In 2006, he won many praises for his courage in covering the Second Lebanon War, and his efforts at finding common ground between Israel and the Arab word.

The Breakaway Award

1. ABIGAIL FIELDING-SMITH is a freelance Middle East correspondent based in Beirut. She has reported from Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen for the London Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Independent, the New Statesman magazine, the Scotsman and the Saturday National (Abu Dhabi). She has an MSc in International Politics from SOAS, and is a part-time Commissioning Editor for IB Tauris Publisher's Middle East list.
2. AZZA TURKI Tunisian journalist at Realites political magazine. Ms Azza Turki is a political journalist for the weekly francophone Realites newspaper, spending her efforts in covering and investigating the new reality of Tunisia. http://www.africagoodnews.com/brand-africa/media/2404-tunisias-media-savour-freedom.html
3. RANA JAWAD, Libya correspondent BBC for her fearless journalism. Foreign correspondent since 2004. Based primarily in Libya but also responsible for the BBC's coverage of Algeria and Tunisia. Her articles focus on a broad cross section of society in these countries - as she analyses the political decisions made in government before investigating first-hand the experiences of the people they affect. In Libya she has covered stories ranging from UN policy to street art in Tripoli. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14686402  Rana Jawad of the BBC is nominated for a Breakaway award for her work on Libya
4. SARAH BIRKE, is a freelance writer. She moved to Damascus in 2008, after two years working at The Times in London. She has reported from the region ever since, with a focus on then little-covered Syria. When the uprising broke out in March, she worked undercover for the Economist. She travelled twice to Homs and to the city Hama during the month in which the fighting there was severe. She has also reported from Libya, Egypt and Liberia. Her work includes a cover feature on women behind rebel lines in Benghazi in March, published in The National magazine. Her work has been published in the Economist, Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, le Monde Diplomatique, Foreign Policy, New Statesman and London Review of Books blog. This was the first dispatch from Homs in international press: http://www.economist.com/node/18745138 Homs second dispatch: http://www.economist.com/node/18836440 Hama dispatch: http://www.economist.com/node/18958655 Libya feature: http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/africa/the-women-fighting-organ...
5. SHEERA FRENKEL - Times Jerusalem correspondent, special correspondent in Jerusalem for McClatchy Newspapers, also works freelance for NPR. Broke the story on the IDF using white phosphorous. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5447590.e... Sheera spent the beginning of the year writing a series from ten countries affected by the spirit of the Arab Spring. The deeply personnel accounts examined the aftermath of the original news events, paying special attention to how women would be affected by the changes to the region. The series ran in the Times http://www.thetimes.co.uk
6. SHERINE TADROS - Alejazeera English presenter in Tahrir Square. Sherine started her journalism career as Al Arabiya's senior producer in London, working across Europe for the Dubai-based network. She led the team for the UK general elections in 2005 and covered the London bombings the same year. In 2005, Sherine joined Al Jazeera in London and a year later moved to Doha as a reporter/producer, reporting from across the world. Highlights include covering the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the US presidential race and the takeover of West Beirut by Hezbollah in May 2008. Sherine holds two degrees in Middle East politics and taught undergraduate politics at SOAS, University of London.

The Special Award for an Outstanding Contribution to New Media

1. HIWA OSMAN is commended for his "Thoughts From Iraq" blog. He is also a respected columnist on the English language Kurdish paper, Rudwan. This is a Kurdish weekly newspaper which was founded in 2008 by a group of journalists concerned with the lack of a media outlet which would focus on balanced investigative reporting that would hold the authorities to account. Since then it has become a member of the Le Monde Diplomatique family. Its website receives 30,000 views a day and it is the only Kurdish publication to produce a European edition. See http://hiwaosman.com/. Hiwa is Iraq country director for the Institute of War & Peace Reporting.
2. LISA GOLDMAN - Blog: http://972mag.com/author/lisa/ Just over one year ago, she co-founded Israel's first progressive blog-based digital magazine in English - +972 Magazine (972mag.com) and migrated her personal blog, which she started in 2005, to that platform. She has a deep commitment to accurate reporting. This past March she travelled to Egypt and stayed for two months, reporting on the revolution for +972 Magazine. She happened to be in the West Bank village of Bil'in when a local woman, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, collapsed and was taken to hospital, where she died the following day. The attending physician said she had died from asphyxiation due to massive inhalation of tear gas. The Israeli army spokesperson disputed the physician's report, claiming that the army had not used an unusually large amount of tear gas at that demonstration. In response, she wrote an article ("In the West Bank, everyone knows there is no accountability") that documented the events as she had witnessed them.
3. PHILIP WEISS is an American blogger who writes for Mondoweiss. The blog's aim is publish important developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict, publish a diversity of voices, and to foster the movement for greater fairness and justice for Palestinians in American foreign policy. The site has been running since 2006.
4. RAZAN GHAZZAWI, detained US-born Syrian blogger. Nominated for her blog http://razanghazzawi.com/ Arrested while she was heading to Amman, Jordan, to attend the Forum of Defenders and Media Freedom in the Arab World as the representative of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. Now released, she was detained for 15 days and will stand trial at a later date.

The Special Achievement Awards

1. AL AKHBAR, owner Hassan Khalil. Al-Akhbar defines its political orientation as affiliated to the general popular political stream working for independence, freedom, anti-war, anti-occupation and pro social justice in Lebanon and around the world. The paper has published articles on women's rights and gay rights.
2. AL MASRY AL YOM Daily newspaper, Egypt, established in 2004 and is now the most read independent daily publication in Egypt. It is published in Arabic and has a website in both Arabic and English. It strives to be a full-service multimedia news organization for Egypt. Nominated for the independent website Al-Masry Al-Youm Egypt http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en
3. HILLEL SCHENKER and ZIAD ABU ZAYYAD have been nominated for a joint special prize for their contribution to peace through their work at the Palestine-Israel Journal. The Palestine-Israel Journal is an independent, non-profit, Jerusalem-based quarterly that aims to shed light on and analyze freely and critically, the complex issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians. Half of every issue is devoted to exploring a major theme on the joint Israeli-Palestinian agenda, while the other half contains regular sections relating to Culture, Economics, Viewpoints, Book Reviews, Documents and a Chronology of Events.
4. MA'AN NEWS AGENCY, Palestine. Most browsed website in Palestinian territories, publishing in both English and Arabic and has a growing international as well as Palestinian readership. Focuses on Palestinian political, economic, cultural and sports news from across the West Bank and Gaza Strip and aims ‘to convey a multi-dimensional picture of life in Palestine to a global audience'.
5. SKY NEWS - Nominated for a special award for broadcasting. Dame Ann Leslie writes: Just a thought: Sky News for an award. At times of crisis in the Middle East (and there's sure been a lot of them!) I always turn to Sky. Alex Crawford, their mother-of-four correspondent (cf. The Battle for Zawahiya) is, justifiably, currently racking up hosts of awards. But other excellent correspondents include Lisa Holland and Stewart Ramsay. But my individual reward would go to their Foreign Editor Tim Marshall. He is superb when on the road (I was especially impressed by his work in Egypt and Libya) and his commentaries are calm, authoritative, fair and, to me at any rate, utterly trustworthy. He does not show off, weighs the evidence and eschews leaping to sensationalist conclusions.
Awards carried over

EMAN MOHAMMED - Gaza Freelance, Eman Mohammed is a Jordanian/Palestinian photojournalist and reporter based in the Gaza strip. She has been covering events in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian-Israel conflict since 2006 by documenting the destruction, hardship and innovation in the Gaza Palestinian community, and the launching of rockets out of Gaza and Israel's retaliation through photographs. Her work has been published in the Guardian, Washington Post, Mother Jones, Haaretz newspaper, Sewar magazine, Aftonbladet, Frames of reality, Curso Abril amoung others.
SEIF AL KHAYAT, Iraq, A journalist who works for the state-owned television network who wrote a book about the former Governing Council. Was run over by a police car in Baghdad on what has been described as a 'Black day for freedom' in Iraq, during a government crackdown on journalists in March 2011.
HANIF HANGAM - Hanif Hangam is from Toland TV about which Fowzia Kuffi states "Politicians ignore the programme but they should pay attention". Hanif stars in an Afghan TV show called Alarm Bell a popular weekly satirical TV show which pokes fun at and lampoons Taliban rebels, warlords, UN diplomats and pilgrims to Mecca. Alarm Bell is the most popular satirical politics show in Afghanistan with a prime time slot every week. A couple of years ago he had to flee Afghanistan after Kabul Express, a film he starred in at the time, caused offence to many within Afghanistan - particularly the Hazara community.