Eamonn McCann wins Amnesty Media Award

‘It was a vintage year for human rights journalism’ - Kate Allen 

Northern Ireland journalist Eamonn McCann has been victorious at the Amnesty International Media Awards, collecting a human rights reporting award for his work in the Belfast Telegraph and elsewhere on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. 

McCann was among the winners announced at Amnesty International's prestigious annual media awards, this year celebrating its 20th year. 

The winners, in ten categories, were announced on Tuesday evening at a ceremony hosted by BBC Six O’Clock News presenter George Alagiah at the British Film Institute in central London. 

The coveted awards recognise excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism’s significant contribution to the public’s awareness and understanding of human rights issues. 

Eamonn McCann, on collecting his award, said: 

"The story of Bloody Sunday was clear by the day after. It happened in broad daylight. There were hundreds of witnesses overall, dozens of witnesses for each killing, all eager to tell what they saw. But no-one in authority wanted to listen. It took 38 years to get that story finally told. 

"I want to pay tribute to the families of the Bloody Sunday victims. It has been their tireless efforts for justice which have kept me working on this story for so long. This award belongs to them." 

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland programme director, said: 

"Eamonn McCann may have been writing about Bloody Sunday since the event itself, but, in the eyes of the judges, his journalism continues to offer a fresh and distinctive insight into the human tragedy of that day, as well as penetrating analysis of the Saville report itself."   

There were also wins for Channel 4 News, More 4, CNN International, BBC Radio 4, the Independent, the Guardian, GQ Magazine, Marie Claire, Guardian Weekend Magazine and the Sunday Times Magazine. Awards also went to the Bureau Of Investigative Journalism for their work on the wikileaks story, as well as VERITA magazine in a new student journalism award category. 

The awards ceremony included a recorded video message from Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke of the “great importance” of the media in “promoting the cause of democracy and human rights in Burma”, adding that it is “through the media that the rest of the world gets to hear about what we have to undergo in this country.” She urged journalists to “continue to make as many people around the globe know about what we are struggling for in Burma and what that struggle involves.” 

Though Aung San Suu Kyi was released from her latest period of house detention last November, approximately 2,200 political prisoners are still imprisoned in Burma and Amnesty is campaigning for their release. 

Journalists at the event also sent tweets to Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) demanding the release of Eynulla Fatullayev, an Azerbaijani newspaper editor jailed four years ago on trumped-up charges after publishing articles critical of the government. 

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said: 

“This was the 20th year of our awards and it was a vintage year for human rights journalism. 

“With entries of the highest calibre in category after category it was a hard job for our judges to pick the winners. The awards are fantastic tribute to some of the best journalists in the trade. 

“Well done to all the winners, those that were shortlisted and everyone that tries to expose human rights abuses through their journalism. It’s a vital job and we pay tribute to you.” 

Previous winning journalists have included Mike Thomson, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Johann Hari, Alan Johnston, Jonathan Miller, Lucy Ash, Andrew Gilligan and Gaby Rado. More information at: www.amnesty.org.uk/mediaawards 

THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS: 

NATIONS & REGIONS 

The Belfast Telegraph / Irish Times: Eamonn McCann - Bloody Sunday Inquiry 

Judges: Suzanne Breen, Ian Cobain, Patrick Corrigan, Naresh Puri, David Williamson 

DIGITAL 

Bureau Of Investigative Journalism: Angus Stickler, Iain Overton, Rachel Oldroyd, Lucy Keating - Iraq War Logs 

Judges: Jason Bennetto, Suzi Daniels, Aleks Krotoski, Sameer Padania 

GABY RADIO MEMORIAL AWARD 

The Guardian: Jack Shenker - Bloody And Bruised In The Back Of A Truck (and others) 

Judges: Mike Blakemore, Deborah Haynes, Tom Rado, Ritula Shah 

INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION & RADIO 

CNN International:  David McKenzie, Mike McCarthy, Sheri England, Ingrid Formanek, Earl Nurse - World’s Untold Stories: Locked Up And Forgotten 

Judges: Susanna Flood, Phil Harding, Flora Hunter, Tabitha Jackson 

MAGAZINES - CONSUMER 

GQ Magazine: Ed Caesar, Photographer: Bran Symondson - The Lost Boys 

Judges: Jeremy Dear, Helena Drakakis, Michele Lavery, Jon Manel, Maggie Paterson 

MAGAZINES - NEWSPAPER SUPPLEMENTS 

(Joint winner): Guardian Weekend Magazine: Alice Vasey (pseudonym), editor: Merope Mills - Handle With Care 

(Joint winner): The Sunday Times Magazine: Dan McDougall, photographer: Mariella Furrer - Cries From The Beloved Country 

Judges: Jeremy Dear, Helena Drakakis, Michele Lavery, Jon Manel, Maggie Paterson 

NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS 

The Independent: Andrew Buncombe - One Woman’s Silent Quest For Peace 

Judges: John Amaechi, Wesley Johnson, Iain Overton, Maggie Paterson 

PHOTOJOURNALISM 

Marie Claire: Robin Hammond - If This Girl Was Raped By Soldiers … 

Judges: Camilla Brown, Colin Jacobson, Mary McCartney, Maggie Paterson, Carlos Reyes-Manzo 

RADIO 

BBC Radio 4: Hilary Andersson, Caroline Finnigan, Ali Safi, Polly Hope, Hugh Levinson - Bagram Airbase 

Judges: Jane Anderson, Mike Blakemore, Afua Hirsch, Petrie Hosken, Alan Johnston 

STUDENT AWARD 

VERITA Magazine: Sophie Mei - Sex Trafficking: A Family Affair 

Judges: Niall Couper, Sunny Hundall, Kat Lay, Ed Marsh, Susan Nash, Tom Parry, Hannah Shaw 

DOCUMENTARY & DOCUDRAMA 

More 4 True Stories (Clover Films): Najibullah Quraishi, Jamie Doran, Mike Healy, John Moffat - The Dancing Boys Of Afghanistan 

Judges: Mike Blakemore, Clemency Burton-Hill, Mark Galloway, Jane Stephenson, Robert Verkaik 

TELEVISION NEWS 

Channel 4 News: Jonathan Miller, Ben De Pear, Girish Juneja, Sarah Corp, Nevine Mabro - Investigating The Possibility Of War Crimes In Sri Lanka 

Judges: Kevin Bakhurst, Mike Blakemore, Robert Cole, Julie Hulme, Tim Singleton