Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and US freelancer Nicholas Schmidle have been named the winners of the 7th annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism.
Anas and Schmidle beat dozens of other reporters around the world with their entries selected by a panel of international judges which included Ben Brown BBC TV Special Correspondent, Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times, Roy Greenslade of the Guardian and celebrated editor of the Irrawaddy magazine, Aung Zaw.
The judges found Anas's expose of a complex cross-border human trafficking syndicate, “fearless and compelling” and a rich example of “journalism that has brought about real change for the better." As a result of his undercover investigation, and his collaboration with law enforcement agencies, NGOs and other journalists, 17 Nigerian trafficking victims were rescued.
Anas said, “This award is not about the money; it is about the prestige and more importantly how it has rejuvenated me to aspire higher and higher to serve humanity. The fact that somebody somewhere respects what we produce in our little corners here is enough motivation for me.” Anas won the award in the local journalist category.
Schmidle picked up first place in the freelance journalist category for work ranging from tribal insurgency in a Pakistan province to the depth and breadth of Iranian influence in Western Afghanistan. The publication of his piece Next-Gen Taliban in the New York Times led the government to deport him and his wife from the country. The judges “particularly appreciated the way in which he disaggregated Muslim fundamentalism. His mix of detailed information with historical context gives you a wonderful sense of being there”.
Launched in 2001, the Schork Awards honour excellence and bravery in freelance reporting from areas of crisis and transition. They celebrate the life and work of Kurt Schork, the former freelance reporter who was killed eight years ago in Sierra Leone while on assignment for Reuters.
The awards are funded by the Kurt Schork Memorial Foundation and managed by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR). Next month will see both winners brought to London for an evening of celebration at the Frontline Club, presented by Allan Little of the BBC.
The awards and prize of $5,000 for each of the winners will be presented at the ceremony in London on Thursday November 20.
In addition, a new international journalism education text, International News Reporting: Frontlines and Deadlines (published by Wiley Blackwell), will be launched by its editors John Owen & Heather Purdey, who will also provide a short introduction to the evening. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund. A panel discussion will follow the awards ceremony.
