via Chikwanha scoops top prize – DailyNews Live 28 SEPTEMBER 2013
The Daily News political editor Thelma Chikwanha yesterday scooped a top humanitarian media reporting award under the gender category for highlighting the plight of women in prisons.
Chikwanha was among four journalists who received the awards of excellence for reporting on humanitarian issues.
The four journalists received certificates and a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet each.
The awards were presented by the Humanitarian Information Facilitation Centre (HIFC) in conjunction with United Nations arms, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The handover ceremony was held at a local hotel.
Chikwanha was presented with an award in recognition of a two-part story on the living conditions of women in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison published in the Daily News on February 5 and 6 this year.
In their citation, the judges said the story was able to bring out gender dynamics where the female inmates were also given a voice, ultimately giving the public an insight into the lives of women in the country’s correctional facility.
The awards were also held in commemoration of the World Humanitarian Day which is celebrated in August each year.
Virginia Muwanigwa, HIFC director, said the awards were designed to reward professional journalism highlighting issues affecting Zimbabwe.
“We hope this will encourage greater and sustained media coverage of humanitarian issues.
“This is especially important given the media’s role in supporting advocacy efforts,” Muwanigwa said.
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