JournalismPakistan.com | Published 12 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: Nadia Naqi, current affairs anchor at NewsOne Television, has won the ICFJ Vaccine Reporting Contest, for her half-hour program called “Problems of Eradicating Polio from Pakistan.”
The contest, launched by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) together with the African Health Journalists Association and the Arab Media Forum, aims to stimulate coverage in Africa, Pakistan and the Gulf states on this key issue.
The New Venture Fund sponsored the initiative with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Winners earn a two-week study tour to the United States to explore in greater depth a variety of health issues, according to an ICFJ accouncement.
Nadia explores why Pakistan has failed to eliminate the disease, investigating negative perceptions by the public of the polio vaccination, security risks facing health workers giving vaccinations, and parental ignorance.
With a wide range of interviews, she identifies the hurdles and suggests ways to overcome them. The piece is particularly poignant because it starts and ends with moving stories of polio victims.
Other journalists winning the award are from Nigeria (Vivienne Irikefe), Ivory Coast (Suy Kahofi Jischvi), and UAE (Joanne Bladd).
In well-documented multimedia and broadcast reports, most spotlighted the challenges—and victories—in eliminating polio.
“The winners produced coverage that serves as lessons to all in how to conquer devastating yet preventable diseases such as polio,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan. “They have done a major service to the public and health officials by surfacing hurdles and successes.”
Fourteen prominent international journalists chose the winners from more than 200 submissions. Among other criteria, the judges looked for in-depth reports that effectively used strong images and graphics, citizen voices and open data.
The winners will meet leading global health experts during their US study tour. Each will receive a $500 cash prize. Four second-place finalists also won $500 awards.
They are: Melaku Berhanu Tesfay (Ethiopia), Florence Naluyimba (Uganda), Arsla Jawaid (South Asia Magazine, Pakistan), and Hossam Mohammed Hagrass, Saudi Arabia).
A representative from the winning news organizations will be invited to attend ICFJ’s Awards Dinner on Nov. 7 in Washington, D.C. The annual event honors the achievements of colleagues whose outstanding news reports or media innovations have made a huge impact.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
October 28, 2025: Sindh Police arrested four suspects linked to a banned outfit in the murder of journalist Imtiaz Mir, who was shot in Karachi in September 2025.
October 26, 2025: Riffat Ara Alvi, the mother of slain Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, has died, ending her relentless fight for justice following his killing in Kenya in 2022.
October 25, 2025: Veteran journalists and rights activists urge authorities to quash the fabricated drug case against Matiullah Jan, calling it an attack on media freedom.
October 24, 2025: PTV journalist Najam Wali Khan faces social media backlash after calling late SP Adeel Akbar a coward and a fool following his alleged suicide in Islamabad.
October 24, 2025: JournalismPakistan.com celebrates 16 years of independent reporting and media insight. Founded in 2009, the platform has weathered censorship, cyberattacks, and financial pressures to remain a trusted space for all who love and follow the media.
October 23, 2025: PFUJ calls for the immediate appointment of an ITNE judge, warning of a serious case backlog affecting journalists and media workers seeking justice across Pakistan.
October 30, 2025 PSL franchise fees lag far behind IPL's USD 18.5B valuation as Pakistan Cricket Board's bureaucratic grip stifles growth. Hard numbers expose a stark reality.
October 30, 2025 India’s government has proposed strict new rules mandating the labelling of AI-generated and deepfake media to curb misinformation and ensure content authenticity on social platforms.
October 30, 2025 Vietnamese authorities seize BBC journalist’s passport amid interrogation, sparking outrage as Hanoi leader To Lam visits the UK. Rights groups urge her release.
October 30, 2025 CDEPS and CPJ condemn the arrest of 7TV’s Maimouna Ndour Faye and other journalists in a late October crackdown on Senegalese media over interviews with a wanted politician.
October 29, 2025 In a historic first, a Bishkek court declares Kloop, Temirov Live, and their founders extremist, marking Kyrgyzstan’s sharpest assault on press freedom under President Japarov.