Media Awards 2003: Winners Announced

Held at BAFTA in London on the evening of Thursday 22 May, the awards ceremony was hosted by Charles Wheeler, and the presenters of the awards included Will Self, David Hare, Joan Bakewell, Moira Stuart and George Alagiah.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

"At a time when the international focus on Iraq has sometimes seen other human rights abuses go unreported, the role of journalists in exposing abuses has never been more critical. The range of entries received for this year’s awards and the challenges, dangers, threats and casualties experienced by journalists over the course of this year reminds us just how much they put their own lives on the line in order to highlight the facts and influence change."

The 2003 winners for UK Media are:

National Newspapers
Inside the world of the Palestinian suicide bomber; The informer who could not escape; On patrol with the killer Israel dreads, Hala Jaber, Sunday Times

TV Documentaries
A licence to murder, John Ware for BBC Panorama

Photojournalism
Looking Aids in the face, Gideon Mendel, Corbis/Guardian Weekend

Radio
Sale of illegal landmines, Andrew Gilligan for Today, BBC Radio 4

Periodicals
Land of the damned, Ann McFerran, Sunday Times Magazine

TV News
Guinea: sex for food, Sorious Samura, Insight News Television/Channel 4 News/CNN

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Series of articles on refugees and asylum seekers, Alexander Robertson, Sam Bartlett and Liam McDougall for The Big Issue in Scotland

The 2003 winners for International Media are:

Global Award for Human Rights Journalism
Invisible casualties of war, Belma Becirbasic and Dzenana Secic of Start magazine, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This award, established in 1999, recognises the contribution of human rights journalism anywhere around the world.

Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat
Hassan Bility, editor of the Analyst newspaper in Liberia. Hassan Bility received the award in recognition of his bravery in reporting on the deteriorating human rights situation in Liberia. As a result his life was put severely at risk, and Hassan Bility now has refugee status in the USA.

Judges and Shortlistees

Details of the 2003 judges and shortlisted entries are available online.