Mr Gerard A. Fischer, the Interim Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, and Mr Boris Iarochevitch, Chargé dAffaires of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, launched a Special Prize for Peace Journalism within the framework of the EU Prize for Journalism. The Special Prize will reward conflict-sensitive journalistic work, empowering reporters to cover conflict-related issues constructively.
The EUMM Peace Journalism Prize will be awarded to the best balanced and unbiased article in print- or online media; television- or radio report; web-page, blog or social media initiative; as well as news agency- or online newspaper contribution.
Journalists are invited to send their applications by 04 November 2013. The awarded journalist will be provided with an attractive fellowship allowing him or her to participate in the Caucasus programme at the headquarters of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in London. The programme is entitled Building Bridges/Building Capacity: Conflict Prevention in the South Caucasus.
“With this Special Prize, we hope to help build confidence amongst communities living in the vicinity of the Administrative Boundary Lines with Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” said Mr. Fischer. “People living in conflict areas deserve to get a full, all-encompassing picture of the situation around them. If confidence is to be enhanced amongst communities, all viewpoints must be portrayed. This is only possible if journalists manage to overcome biases and show as diverse and wide a picture as possible.”
The Special Prize for Peace Journalism is supported by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian service, Ekho Kavkaza, the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists (IAGJ) and the International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN).
More details in the annex.
Background
The EUMM Special Prize for Peace Journalism is awarded within the framework of the EU Prize for Journalism in Georgia, which acknowledges journalistic work for the press, TV, radio and social media that has contributed to promoting a better understanding of the values of the European Union and reflects high standards of journalistic ethics and professionalism.
Prize winners of the EU Journalism Prize in Georgia will be named in four categories:
1.
Best investigative or opinion article in printed or online media;
2.
Best investigative or opinion TV and Radio report
3.
Best social media profile/blog or blog post promoting vivid, balanced, fair, pluralistic debates able to illustrate EU values.
4.
The most informative news agency or online newspaper
For more details please visit the following websites:
Maia Chitaia, Tel: +995 599 49 00 12,
maia.chitaia@actionprgroup.com ;
Ann Vaessen, Tel: +995 591 227 69,
ann.vaessen@eumm.eu ;
Giuseppe Vasques,
Giuseppe.vasques@eeas.europa.eu