Bloggers and journalists recognised at NCF Media Awards event

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A range of bloggers and journalists were rewarded this week at the Next Century Foundation International Media Awards ceremony.

Following the Voices Online Blogging conference on Monday, participants from around the world attended the NCF International Council for Press and Broadcasting ceremony, hosted by Lord Stone of Blackheath.

The aim of the awards, a release from the International Council for Press and Broadcasting, said, is to bring together journalists from 'the troubled region that is the Middle East today with their counterparts in the west'.

The awards publicly recognise '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,' Secretary-general of the NCF and chair of the International Council of Press and Broadcasting, William Morris, said in the release.

For the first time, bloggers were included in the awards, as an effort to reward those 'unconstrained by the legalities of the print press, push the boundaries of reporting to new frontiers,' the release said.

The winners:

'Peace Through Media' awards:

Dr Badrakhan, Al Sindi of Al-Ta’akhi newspaper; Mike Fealty, editor and writer of Slugger O’Toole; Paul Staines, who blogs under the alias of Guido Fawkes, and Mark Urban, diplomatic editor, BBC Newsnight.

'Peace Through Media Lifetime Achievement' awards:

Khalid Kashtainy, Sharq Al Awsat newspaper; and Kamran Karadaghi, Al Hayat newspaper.

Cutting Edge awards:

Oren Yakobovich of B’Tselem; Shlomo Eldar of Israeli Channel 10; Faisal Abbas, Sharq al Awsat newspaper and Huffington Post; and Jaafar al Ahmar, Al Hayat newspaper.

Breakaway Awards for most promising new talent:

Abdulrahman Abdulla, Al Sharqiya Satellite TV; Potkin Azarmehr, blogger at 'For a secular democratic Iran'.

Several award winners were unable to attend due to border closures, the Council said. Four additional winners will be presented awards next year, if they are able to travel.

Journalism.co.uk  reported live from the Voices Online Blogging conference 2009 .

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