The International Media Awards 2010

SHORTLISTED NOMINATIONS

The Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a figure who has had a long and distinguished career in the media, and who has during this time worked tirelessly for the promotion of better understanding. There is usually only one winner in this category. Nominations are:

ANDREW ALEXANDER is a columnist for the Daily Mail. Although he concentrates on domestic politics, he has been praised by Arab Media Watch for his efforts to identify the underlying issues behind Islamic extremism. An archive of his articles is available at http://www.journalisted.com/andrew-alexander

JIM MUIR is 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, travelling regularly to cover Iraq. In the 1990s he covered the war in Bosnia for the BBC, wrote for Middle East International and worked as the BBC's Middle East Correspondent, based in Cairo from 1995-1999. From 1999-2004 he was Tehran Correspondent. An archive of his articles for BBC News Online may be accessed at: http://www.journalisted.com/jim-muir

JONATHAN STEELE is a columnist and Senior Foreign Correspondent for the Guardian, as well as an author and a Director at Chatham House. He has reported extensively from Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11, and also on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He was previously the Bureau Chief in Washington (1975-79) and Moscow (1988-94), and covered the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s. He has written well-received books on South Africa, Germany and Russia and the Soviet Union.

The Peace Through Media Awards

The Peace Through Media Awards are given to journalists or broadcasters of outstanding calibre. They are selected because their work is of such quality that it has helped to foster a climate of peace and understanding. Past winners include Mr Jihad al Khazen of Al Hayat, Mr Danny Levi Rubinstein of Haaretz and Mr Michael Binyon of The Times. Normally three awards are made in this category. We would be grateful if panellists could therefore cast three votes. Nominations are:

Middle Eastern journalists

SAMIA NAKHOUL is the Reuters Middle East Editor, and has reported from the region for almost twenty years. Key stories she has covered include the Lebanese civil war, the Gulf War, the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the 2003 Iraq War. While covering the latter she was severely injured when a tank shell hit the Palestine Hotel, at that time serving as headquarters for international journalists, and had to undergo brain surgery in a Baghdad hospital. Ms. Nakhoul was the first journalist to visit and write the story of Ali Abbas Ismaeel, or "Little Ali," the 12-year old boy who lost both his arms when a missile destroyed his home and killed his parents, a story that subsequently gained worldwide attention. Prior to joining Reuters she worked for a number of media organizations including the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper and the Arabic-language An-Nahar magazine.

ZIAD ABU ZAYYAD is the co-editor and co-publisher of Palestine-Israel Journal. He is a former Palestinian Authority minister, a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and former editor of Gesher ("Bridge"), a Palestinian Hebrew-language publication which from 1986-91, sought to communicate the realities of Palestinian society to Israelis. Palestine-Israel Journal is a non-profit organisation which Mr. Abu Zayyad co-founded in 1994 with Israeli journalist Victor Cygielman to encourage dialogue and debate between civil societies on both sides. The Journal is the only independent, locally produced joint Palestinian-Israeli publication, with the Editorial Board equally split between Palestinians and Israelis. Its website may be viewed at http://www.pij.org

Israeli journalists

AKIVA ELDAR is the Chief Political Columnist for Haaretz. His columns also regularly appear in the Haaretz-Herald Tribune edition and the Japanese daily Mainichi. Before taking up his current role, Mr. Eldar lectured at the School of Journalism in Tel Aviv, as well as working as Haaretz US Bureau Chief and Washington correspondent, covering the peace process, US-Israel relations, American issues and Israel-Diaspora relations. Prior to this, he spent ten years as Diplomatic Correspondent. Mr. Eldar is the co-author of two books; a biography of Shimon Peres and Lords of the Land: The War Over Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories.
AMIRA HASS is a columnist for Haaretz, known for her articles criticizing both Israeli policy towards Palestinians and the chaos caused by Palestinian infighting. Ms. Hass is notable in that she has lived in, as well as reported from, both the West Bank and Gaza, the first Israeli journalist to have done so. A selection of articles by Ms. Hass may be viewed at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/SearchEn.jhtml

SEMADAR PERRI is Middle East and Arab Affairs Correspondent for Yedioth Ahranoth, Israel's most widely circulated newspaper. Ms. Perri has gained a reputation for reliable and accurate reporting on the complex issues which characterise current affairs in the Middle East. This has been complemented by her confident command of the Arabic language, which has placed her in the confidence of numerous significant Arab statesmen, journalists and politicians, particularly in Egypt, Jordan and within the Palestinian community. Ms. Perri first achieved prominence in 1977, when she covered the historic visit of Anwar Sadat to Israel. Her countless meetings and interviews with Egyptian and Palestinian leaders since then have contributed significantly to creating understanding between different interests in the region.

Western journalists

IAN BLACK is the current Middle East Editor of the Guardian. In over 25 years working on the paper he has also served as European Editor, Diplomatic Editor, Foreign Leader Writer and Middle East Correspondent. Recently, he has extensively covered Yemen, and has created a detailed interactive analysis of the Annapolis peace conference. An archive of his work can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/ianblack

JEREMY BOWEN is Middle East Editor of the BBC. Mr. Bowen joined the BBC in 1984, becoming Geneva correspondent for Radio News. He made his name covering conflicts in the Gulf, Africa, the Balkans and Palestine. He became Middle East correspondent in 1995. In 2000, he covered the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, in 2006 he covered the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and in 2008 he reported on sectarian conflict in Mount Lebanon. He has often faced considerable danger in order to present good-quality coverage, being robbed by Albanian bandits in Kosovo in 1999, fired upon by an Israeli tank in 2000 and shot at by warring factions in Lebanon in 2008. In 2005, Mr. Bowen was appointed Middle East Editor of the BBC. A selection of some of his work for BBC News Online, the Independent and the Guardian can be viewed at
http://www.journalisted.com/jeremy-bowen

PATRICK COCKBURN has been a Middle East correspondent for the Financial Times and the Independent since 1979. In particular, he has become known for his expert coverage of Iraq, a subject on which he has written or co-authored three books; Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein (written before the Second Iraq War of 2003), The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq, an analysis of the insurgency following the war, and Muqtada: Muqtada Al Sadr, the Shia Revival and the Struggle for Iraq in 2008, on the recent history of the Sadr family and the development of the Sadrist movement. An article by Mr. Cockburn on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities can be seen at http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick06152009.html

ORLA GUERIN is currently Pakistan Correspondent for the BBC. She joined the BBC as a news correspondent in 1995, and after a year reporting from the West Coast of the USA, became the Southern Europe correspondent, based in Rome, reporting frequently on the Kosovo crisis and the plight of refugees, and being expelled from Pristina by Serb forces following the commencement of NATO bombing. During the same period, Ms. Guerin reported on the Basque separatist movement and their militant wing, ETA, being the first to break the story of the group's declaration of a ceasefire in 1998. Ms. Guerin has also reported as Middle East correspondent from Jerusalem, where her willingness to forcefully criticise Israeli policy won her both praise and notoriety. A piece written by her for BBC News online can be accessed at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4490999...

3. The Cutting Edge Awards:

The Cutting Edge Awards are an acknowledgement of the work of media professionals who have risen to prominence through the outstanding quality of their work and their balanced and considered coverage. Past recipients include Mr Jacki Hugi of Maariv, Mr. Robert Tait of The Observer and Ms. Mina al Oraibi of Sharq al Awsat. As with the Peace Through Media Award, there will almost certainly be three final winners, so please cast three votes if possible. Nominations are:

Middle Eastern journalists

MAZIAR BAHARI is an Iranian-Canadian journalist, playwright and film-maker. Educated in Montreal, he has produced a number of documentaries and news reports on Middle Eastern issues for several different media outlets, including Channel 4 and the BBC. Mr. Bahari was appointed Newsweek's Iran correspondent in 1998, and was reporting from Tehran during the early stages of the ongoing protests about the Iranian election. He was arrested, held without charge for 118 days in Evin Prison and eventually released on bail. He cannot now return to Iran.

MOEEN EL HILOU is currently Gaza Producer for Israel's Channel 10 TV, as well as being a director for the Hebrew News Department at Palestine TV. Fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, he has had an eventful career as a journalist, covering all interviews between the late Yasser Arafat and Israeli officials, as well as himself interviewing important Israeli figures including Ehud Olmert (when he was Sharon's Deputy Prime Minister) and Shimon Peres.

IMAD AL IBADI (aka IMAD MUHAMMAD SALAH ABDUL HUSSAIN) is director of Al Diyar TV. Ibadi was an outspoken critic of the US occupation of Iraq and is a courageous and vocal campaigner on social and political issues. He used the program on Iraqi politics and current affairs which he hosted, Afkar bila Aswa, as a platform for defending freedom of the press, whilst attacking the excesses of the Iraqi security forces and corruption within government. In November 2009, he narrowly survived an attack by unknown gunmen whilst driving through central Baghdad, very nearly becoming the latest victim of a string of violent crimes committed against Iraqi journalists, none of which have been solved.

SHUHDI AL KHASHIF is the BBC Arabic Gaza Correspondent. During last year's Israeli assault, media organisations were prevented from entering Gaza, but BBC Arabic maintained a presence there throughout. Mr. Al Khashif continued to broadcast in extremely difficult circumstances, sometimes cut off from his own family, who ended up being evacuated from their flat and sleeping in the BBC office. Throughout, he managed to maintain professional impartiality. Since the war, he has retained his journalistic integrity, to the extent where Mr. Al Khashif covered the BBC's own refusal to cover the Viva Palestina convoy. Mr. Al Khashif has also been noteworthy in his willingness to explore social issues in Gaza beyond the obvious Israel-Palestine conflict, reporting, for instance, on wine-making within the Strip, which has landed him in trouble with the Hamas authorities.

AYMAN MOHYELDIN is the Gaza Correspondent for Al Jazeera English. He has also reported on sectarian violence in Lebanon. During the conflict of 2008-09, he was one of two international English language television reporters inside Gaza. In 2007, he sourced and filed an exclusive report on voter irregularities in Egypt's constitutional referendum. Before joining Al Jazeera English, Mr. Mohyeldin was a producer with CNN, based for two years in Baghdad, where he covered the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq. While there, he reported on the daily struggle of ordinary Iraqis. He was the only news producer allowed to observe and report on the US handover of Saddam Hussein to an Iraqi judge. He has also produced exclusive reports from Libya, where he was the first journalist to enter one of Libya's nuclear research facilities. In Saudi Arabia during the 2004 Hajj, Mr. Mohyeldin reported live on the stampede that killed over 200 pilgrims in Mecca.

NADA ABDEL SAMAD is a correspondent for the BBC Arabic Service, and is based in Beirut. Ms. Abdel Samad was widely praised for her personal bravery during the Israel-Lebanon conflict in 2006. She is also an author, and her new book Wadi Abu Jamil: Stories about the Jews of Beirut, represents a landmark in that she is the first Lebanese writer to cover this subject. An interview with Ms. Abdel Samad about the book is available at http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=137842

MAYSA SINIORA is Palestine Coordinator for All For Peace Radio, a joint Israeli-Arab radio station which seeks to bring the accumulated experience and expertise of both the Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace and the Palestinian Biladi organisation to bear through the mass media, creating hope and finding common ground between the neighbouring peoples. Maysa began her political activism in London, heading the London Palestinian student organisation. After returning to Jerusalem in 1996, she became a reporter on Biladi's Jerusalem Times and was recently named by Haaretz's Marker business magazine as one of the top 40 women in the country for "making a difference". Throughout her career, she has sought to involve "people on the street," rather than concentrating on Palestinian or Israeli politicians.

SHERINE TADROS is a Field Correspondent for Al Jazeera English. Having 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 from the US to the Middle East. Highlights include covering the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the US presidential race and the takeover of West Beirut by Hezbollah in May 2008. During the Gaza conflict of 2008-09, Ms. Tadros and her colleague Ayman Mohyeldin were the only international English-language television reporters inside Gaza.

MSHARI AL ZAYDI is currently 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 is a particular expert on Islamic movements, Islamic fundamentalism and Saudi affairs. Using his unique insight into Islamist politics, he has become an authoritative voice on political Islam. He has also 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 recently targeted in a terror plot uncovered after members of the Al Khaldiyah terrorist cell were arrested. An example of his work is available at:
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=19692  

Israeli journalists

ITAI ANGHEL is a senior correspondent for the weekly current affairs program "UVDA" on Israel's Channel 2 television, the Israeli equivalent to BBC's "Panorama" or CBS's "60 Minutes". Beginning his career as a foreign correspondent, and later Chief Editor of Foreign Affairs, for the GLZ radio station during the pivotal years of 1987-93, Mr. Anghel covered conflicts in former Yugoslavia and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Since his move to Channel 2 in 1993, he has covered numerous significant conflicts and political events, including the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, the Rwandan genocide, the aftermath of September 11th in the United States, an Israeli exclusive on the funeral of Yasser Arafat and the Second Lebanon War. Mr. Anghel has become known for his objectivity in reporting, and his determination to make the voices of all sides heard. He has also been actively involved in humanitarian work, setting up the Humanitarian - Israelis for Congo organisation and bringing concerts and medical delegations to the country.

BRADLEY BURSTON is a senior columnist and blogger for Haaretz. He also writes a blog for The Huffington Post. During the First Intifada, he was Gaza Correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and became Military Correspondent during the First Gulf War. During the 1990's, he covered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks for Reuters. In his columns, he has sought to diffuse tensions between Israel and Palestine and highlight the need for reconciliation on both sides. His work for the Huffington Post may be accessed at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bradley-burston

AYALA HASSON is currently Diplomatic Analyst for Israeli Channel One Television, as well as being the anchor for the channel's main Friday night news program, and host of a weekly Israeli Broadcasting Authority. She has enjoyed a highly successful career in the field of investigative journalism, managing to scoop the first interview with the mother of Yigal Amir, Yitzhak Rabin's assassin, and also to expose the Bar On corruption scandal. In addition, Ms. Hasson has covered numerous peace summits in Aqaba, Washington, Oslo, London, Cairo and Sharm-el-Sheikh, as well as the conflicts in Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in 2008-09.

MOSSI RAZ is Israel Coordinator for All For Peace Radio, a joint Israeli-Arab radio station which seeks to bring the accumulated experience and expertise of both the Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace and the Palestinian Biladi organisation to bear through the mass media, creating hope and finding common ground between the neighbouring peoples. He is a well-known peace activist in Israel and was elected to the Knesset for the liberal Meretz party in 2000, serving for three years. He is also the director of the non-profit Ir Shalom co-existence program, bringing together various volunteer professionals from the field of town planning and construction to create an equitable planning model for the Palestinian community.

ERAN SINGER is Arab Affairs Correspondent for the B channel of Kol Radio Israel. NCF Board member Ari Rath describes Mr Singer as an outstanding young man of great promise. Though he is not well known by name, his broadcasts are widely listened to in Israel. His presentation is regarded as exceptionally informative and well balanced.

ZVI YEHEZKELI is Arab Affairs correspondent and head of the Arab desk at Channel 10 News in Israel. His journalistic career commenced in IDF radio, where he acted as Gaza and West Bank correspondent whilst also contributing reports to the Channel One "Yoman" program. During this time he completed a Master's degree in Middle Eastern history. He left the IDF to take up his current post in 2002. He won praise for his courage in reporting the 2006 Lebanon War, and is known for his ability to find common ground between Israel and the Arab world, particularly on his show "London and Kirschenbaum".

Western journalists

HALA JABER is a British-Lebanese journalist currently writing for the Sunday Times. In particular, she has focused on covering Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 war. As well as being a journalist, she is a successful author, having written her first book, Hezbollah: Born With a Vengeance in 1997 and The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles in 2009. An archive of her articles can be viewed at http://www.halajaber.com/news/

RORY McCARTHY is Jerusalem Correspondent for the Guardian, and has worked as a foreign correspondent for the paper since 2000. He has travelled extensively in the Middle East, living in Baghdad, Beirut and Jerusalem, and also in South Asia, where he covered the fall of the Taliban while based in Islamabad. He is the author of Nobody Told Us We Are Defeated: Stories from the New Iraq, a collection of material researched during time spent living in a neighborhood of Baghdad following the invasion of 2003. His archive of work on Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan can be found on www.rorymccarthy.net/journalism .

PETER OBORNE is currently a columnist for the Daily Mail, and is former Political Editor of Spectator. Although he has not traditionally focused on foreign, being more concerned with domestic political corruption, he has been active in campaigning for increased understanding and reduced demonization of British Muslims, presenting a "Despatches" program on the subject entitled "It Shouldn't Happen to a Muslim", with an accompanying pamphlet, "Muslims under Siege", in 2008. His articles may be accessed at http://www.journalisted.com/peter-oborne .

RAGEH OMAAR is currently a Middle Eastern correspondent for Al Jazeera English, and presenter of the documentary series Witness. He rose to prominence at the BBC, for whom he initially worked as a freelance correspondent for the BBC World Service from 1991, later being appointed the BBC Africa Correspondent. Omaar made his name reporting live from warzones in Somalia and Iraq for the BBC, his reports being syndicated worldwide. Since leaving the BBC, he has broadened the scope of his journalism to include Islamic culture, the history of Christianity, immigration and racial relations. He remains one of Britain's most respected broadcasters.

JACKIE ROWLAND is a Field Correspondent for Al Jazeera English in Jerusalem. She worked previously for the BBC, and has over 16 years of covering conflict in the Balkans (as a BBC Foreign Affairs correspondent) and the Islamic world. She was notable during the NATO campaign against Serbia in 2000 for defying an expulsion order from President Slobodan Milosevic and continuing to report from in hiding.

BEN WEDEMANN is CNN's senior correspondent in Jerusalem. Previously, he has acted as CNN Bureau Chief in Cairo and Amman. Mr. Wedeman has lived in the Middle East since 1974. In 2003, he reported on the invasion of Iraq from Kurdistan, covering the fall of Kirkuk. He was also the first Western journalist to interview Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Mr. Wedeman has also covered the Arab-Israeli conflict in-depth, reporting from Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

4. The Breakaway Award:

The Breakaway Award encourages new talent, in mainstream journalism as well as in the fields of internet news and citizen journalism. There is only one winner in this category. Nominations are:

RANJ ALAALDIN is a Middle East political and security risk analyst based at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He visits the Middle East regularly and as part of his recent work on Iraq has visited the country on a number of fact-finding missions. He is a Guardian columnist and writes for numerous other print and online publications. His work may be viewed at http://ranjalaaldin.com/articles/

SORAYA BAUWENS-NUSSEIBEH writes in English for the Palestinian Ma'an news agency. She is already responsible for having broken a number of important stories. An example of her work, in this case on the Viva Palestina convoy which tried to enter Gaza earlier this year, is available at http://iadiedee.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/a-personal-message-from-viva-palestina-team-leader-talat-ali/

GUY GABRIEL is a journalist and advisor to Arab Media Watch. He holds a Masters degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies in Middle Eastern Politics. He has worked for a long time in the Middle East and has fought to dispel the notion of a clash of civilizations between the Arab world and the West. His work may be accessed at
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/writers/userprofile/guyg.html.

4. The Special Award for an Outstanding Contribution to New Media (The Bloggers' Award)

HANIF MAZROUI is an Iranian blogger, the son of a former Member of Parliament, and creator of reformist web daily Roozonline. Before it was shut down by the government, he was a computer technician for the Vaghayeh Etefaghieh daily, and was jailed for sixty-six days and fined in 2004 for anti-Islamic writings. He has had to flee Iran, leaving behind his wife and newborn child, and continues to work as a journalist on pro-reform websites from Belgium. An English edition of Roozonline can be accessed at http://www.roozonline.com/english/about-us.html

MEHRTASH RASTEGAR is the creator of an Iranian anti-establishment blog
http://www.seektruthandjustice.blogspot.com , which he has been writing since February 2009. Born in the UK of Iranian parentage, he is a lawyer by training, with a particular emphasis on international human rights. He is currently applying to start a PhD on the enforcement of such law, and the criminalisation of its violations.

REIDAR VISSER is the creator of the Gulf Analysis blog and of Historiae.org, an internet outlet for historical research on topical issues in world politics, with a particular focus on political movements aimed at modifying or challenging existing state structures. Both sites have been praised for their nuanced insights into extremely complex social and political issues. Dr. Visser is a research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and a member of the Gulf Research Unit at the University of Oslo. His work may be accessed at
http://gulfanalysis.wordpress.com/  and http://www.historiae.org/

BENNY ZIFFER has been the 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. His daring attacks on the Israeli political and cultural establishment, most notably his call to boycott the Israeli writers' delegation to the Paris International Book Fair have resulted in both notoriety and acclaim. Mr. Ziffer is also notable for his personal courage, having reported from the frontline during the 2006 Lebanon war, and numerous times from flashpoints on the Gazan frontier and the West Bank. His work has not only provoked reaction within Israel, but also in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and the Occupied Territories, where Mr. Ziffer is seen as a harbinger of potential change in Israel. His work may be viewed at
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?itemNo=652024&contrassID=2