Al Jazeera English was named ‘Broadcaster of the Year’ for the second year running at the 2018 New York Festivals International Television & Film Gala that took place in Las Vegas on April 10.
The award is considered the most prestigious by the organisers, Al Jazeera Media Network said in a statement yesterday.
Overall, the network was honoured with more than 40 prizes at the event, including 15 gold and 15 silver medals.
Among the honours, five gold medals went to the 101 East documentary series, along with three silver medals. The documentary series presenter, Steve Chao, also won a gold medal in the Best News Reporter category.
The Cut, a documentary exploring the dangerous and painful practice of female genital mutilation across the world, won two gold medals.
Another documentary, The Boy Who Started the Syrian War, tells the story of Mouawiya Syasneh, whose graffiti against President Bashar al-Assad lit the spark that engulfed Syria, and ‘Spy Merchant’ from Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit were both awarded gold
medals.
In addition, the Demand Press Freedom Campaign and News Promotion on Hundred Days of Trump Administration both won gold medals, while ‘In This Life’ - a depiction of the ‘journalism is not a crime’ campaign - won a bronze medal for editing.
Giles Trendle, managing director of Al Jazeera English, said winning the awards at the New York Festivals event is a “wonderful honour from our industry peers of the quality of our journalism and the talent of our teams”.
“In the current global media and political climate, it is all the more important for independent media and journalists around the globe to make themselves heard through quality journalism and imaginative storytelling,” Trendle noted. “We are humbled and honoured to be surrounded by colleagues and friends from media organisations that courageously continue to tell the truth and refuse to be silent.”