The awards program climaxed series of activities in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day organized by the Union. The program was sponsored by Cellcom, UNESCO, IREX, UNMIL and Coa-Coala. Cellcom contributed US$5 000 to the program.
According to the panel of judges, the Heritage was named the best newspaper in the country for its remarkable work during the year under review.
The panel of judges included: Madam Musue Hadad, chairperson. Madam Hadad is a renowned Liberian female journalist and now consumer manager at the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA).
Other members of the panel included: Nathan Bengue, director of communications at the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) and also former vice president of the Press Union of Liberia; Hassan Kiawu, director of communications at the Ministry of Agriculture and also media consultant at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) and Raymond Zabay, a seasoned Liberian journalist in the employ of the United Nations Mission In Liberia (UNMIL) Radio.
The rest are: Thomas Doe-Nah, executive director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL); Momolu V.O. Sirleaf, former president of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL). Currently, he serves as policy analyst at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Albert Ansu, program director of the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP).
The vetting committee took into account news content, grammar, general layout and above all, accuracy, balance and clarity otherwise known as the basic ABC of journalism.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, the president of the PUL, Peter Quaqua, congratulated the honorees and challenged them to continue to raise the standard of the journalism profession in the country.
On the other hand, he also challenged individual journalists and institutions that did not win to work harder next time, adding "you can be winners; it is just a matter of time."
For his part, Chris Simpson, formerly with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), commended the Liberian media for its contributions to the rebuilding of the country following years of political brouhaha.
Simpson said he was impressed with the huge eloquence of the Liberian media. Simpson, who served as keynote speaker during the awards program, pointed out that the Liberian media has developed rapidly over the years.
However, he called on journalists to use the freedom of the press responsibly, urging journalists that they must be kind, perfect, accurate and truthful in the discharge of their noble profession.
The latest award won by the Heritage on 4 May brings to three the total number of awards the paper has received. It can be recalled that in 2005, the acclaimed European Union (EU) named the Heritage as the best newspaper in the coverage of the 2005 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
It can also be recalled that in 2012, the paper was ranked #1 on the Media Quality Barometer (MQB) Survey, an initiative of the Liberia Media Center (LMC) and its international partners.
Meanwhile, several individual journalists were also awarded for their remarkably work during the 2011/2012 year.
Those awarded are: Anthony Stevens (Radio Veritas); Sports Reporter of the Year, Abbas Dolley (New Democrat Newspaper); Photo Journalist of the Year, Robert Clark (Truth FM); Newscaster of the Year, Titus Tokpa (LBS); Legislative Reporter of the Year(Electronic category) and Tom Nyannue (FrontPage Africa Newspaper); Legislative Reporter of the Year(Print Category).
Others are: Weade Williams (FrontPage Africa Newspaper); Executive Mansion Reporter of the Year, Fatumata Fofana (Daily Observer); Columnist of the Year, Fabine Quiah (Radio Veritas); Women's Rights Reporter of the Year, Peter Fahn (New Liberia Newspaper); Environmental Reporter of the Year and Jefferson Mansah (Radio Gbarnga); Development Reporter of the Year.
The rest are: Nathan Charles (LBS) Human Rights Reporter of the Year (Electronic category), Weade Williams (FrontPage Africa Newspaper) Human Rights Reporter of the Year (Print Category), Tetee Gebro (Sky FM), Business Reporter of the Year and Isaac Freeman (Power TV), Videographer of the Year.
Fabric Radio was named as the Radio Station of the year 2011-2012.
Source: allAfrica.com
