(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is the full text of an IFJ press release regarding the special award ceremony and debate which took place in European Parliament on 26 March 1998: “The Irish News” and the “News Letter”, two daily newspapers from the divided community in Northern Ireland who collaborated to promote tolerance and an end […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is the full text of an IFJ press release regarding
the special award ceremony and debate which took place in European
Parliament on
26 March 1998:
“The Irish News” and the “News Letter”, two daily
newspapers from the divided community in Northern Ireland who collaborated to
promote tolerance and an end to violence have been awarded the 1998
International Federation of Journalists written press award.
Belgium’s public broadcaster RTBF scooped the IFJ’s television award with a
film that contributes to demystifying the situation of Algerian exiles in
Europe.
The radio category has been won by a DeutschlandRadio / Radio Bremen
journalist for a poignant broadcast that traces a young Togolese man’s
application for asylum in Germany.
The judges – a panel of leading international journalists – have also issued
a special commendation for the work of an East German freelancer whose
enlightened reporting for a local newspaper in their view added much to the
theme of the IFJPrize “A Celebration of Tolerance in Journalism.”
The IFJPrize winners received their awards in the European Parliament,
Brussels, at the annual European Media Forum. The awards are supported by the
European Commission, the Council of Europe and leading organisations of
European
broadcasters, publishers and journalists.
The IFJPrize takes on a special significance this year given the upturn in
racist violence reported throughout Europe during 1997 and the delicate
nature
of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
The IFJPrize for the written press was awarded jointly to “The Irish
News” and “News Letter”, papers representing the two main
traditions of Northern Ireland, for their joint initiative to bring peace to
their communities. During the summer of 1997, when the crisis over the
Loyalist
parades threatened violent destabilization, the two papers abandoned their
normal competitive rivalry and took a unique step in issuing a joint
editorial
to propose compromise and cross-community tolerance.
This act provided, the judges stated, an outstanding example of how
journalists and media organizations can work together for a more tolerant and
understanding Europe.
In the television category, the IFJPrize winner Anne Quinet was praised for
her challenging news documentary “Algeria, Between Terror and Exile.”
The judges noted that this was an illuminating portrayal of an Algerian
veterinary surgeon who had lead a normal life in a small Algerian village
with
his Belgian wife and two small children, until events in his country forced
him
to seek exile in Belgium.
The documentary sensitively explored the ‘human dimension’ to the problem of
racism in Belgium which has reached startling proportions . A European Union
survey conducted in 1997 found that Belgium was Europe’s most racist country
with more than 50 per cent of respondents openly admitting racist views.
In the radio category the IFJPrize was awarded to Margot Overath for
“Auf der Flucht”, an absorbing account of a 17-year-old Togolese boy’s
experience of the authorities in his plea for asylum. Kuodjo had to escape
from
a concentration camp to flee his country after his father, a member of
parliament, was arrested by the military and his mother disappeared without
trace.
Despite physical signs of torture, the asylum authorities were only
interested in details such as the name and color of the ship he stowed away
on,
or whether he had taken a train, metro or tram from the port. Kuodjo couldn’t
tell them, he didn’t know the difference.
“So you claim you can’t distinguish between a train and a tram? In view
of the education which you maintain you had, I find that rather hard to
believe”, the official chillingly insisted.
The prize winners each received a specially commissioned trophy and a travel
grant of around 4,000 ECU at the 26 March 1998 Award ceremony in Brussels
which
took place during European Media Forum.
This yearly event included a debate between human rights activists,
journalists and politicians over the rise of racism and intolerance in Europe
and the response to these developments by political leaders and media. The
urgency of this debate stems from the recent upturn in votes for extremist
political parties. By manipulating fears over unemployment and declining
social
conditions the far right are winning votes on the back of racism and
intolerance.
