Daily Star - Big Winner In Annual Journalism Awards

BEIRUT: Lebanese journalists have been recognized for their efforts in an annual media competition, it was announced on Friday.
The Thomson Foundation, a British charity that promotes media development and journalism training, made the awards for outstanding pieces of photojournalism, print and TV news reporting from Syria, neighboring Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq.
Funded by the British Commonwealth and Foreign Office, the Inquirer Award aims in its fifth year to raise the professional standard of investigative journalism and to recognize the work of excelling journalists in the region.
Yet again, Lebanon had its share of winners, including top awards in the competition for the best investigative report in the print and TV category
In the television category, Josephine Deeb from OTV won first place for her investigation into the crisis involving the shipment of toxic waste that entered Lebanon in 1987 and the effects it has had.
Riad Kobeissi from New TV won third place for his investigation into 30,000 wanted individuals in Baalbek and Hermel.
Imadeddine Raef Sahmarani from WOW magazine won third place in the print category for his investigation into the political rights of people with disabilities in Lebanon.
The first price in this category was awarded to Hmoud Al Ajaj, who hails from Syria, for his investigative report about an old tradition that is driving young men and women to suicide and murder.
The award for best news photographer was won by Palestine’s Alaaeddine Badarneh, who works for European Press Agency.
The winners were announced during a ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman. A total of 154 print articles, 39 television reports and 24 photojournalists entered the competition. – The Daily Star