Malaysiakini misses out on media prize
News portal Malaysiakini , although nominated for the 2014 Reporters Without Borders – TV5Monde Prize for the Press Freedom award, missed out on winning the top prize.
Malaysiakini was shortlisted along with three other nominees under the 'media' category and it lost to Liberia’s Frontpage Africa .
The other nominees were Honduras’
Radio Puca Opalaca
and Azerbaijan’s
Turan
.
Reporters Without Borders, or Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), said Frontpage Africa ( right ) “adhered to a policy of producing quality investigative journalism despite intimidation by the government”.
Meanwhile, freelance contributor to the Mexico City-based daily La Jornada , Sanjuana Martinez, won the 'Journalist of the Year' prize.
Martinez was awarded for her reporting on abused women and children in her home country. She has endured death threats because of her work for the newspaper.
Saudi blogger wins 'Netizen' category
Saudi blogger and human rights activist Raef Badawi won the award under the 'Netizen' category.
The winners’ names were announced at a ceremony in Strasbourg, eastern France, yesterday evening and was attended by, among others, Thorbjørn Jagland, who is the secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
Awarded annually for the past 23 years and in partnership with TV5Monde since 2011, this prize aims to encourage, support and increase awareness of journalists, media and netizens that have made a notable contribution to the defence or promotion of freedom.
“With violence against journalists reaching a hitherto unimaginable level of horror and scale this year, it is vital that we pay tribute to journalists, news media and netizens who have demonstrated a heroism of the kind that benefits millions of people.” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire (
right
) said.
RSF, which was founded in 1985 with its headquarters in Paris, documents infringements on the press and the free flow of information worldwide.
Among the organisation's duties is to alarm the public when journalists are in danger.
Later this month, Malaysiakini - the country’s first news portal - moves to its own premises in Section 51A, Petaling Jaya.
To mark the occasion, which coincides with Malaysiakini 's 15th anniversary, its doors will be thrown open to the public. See more here .
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