Irfan, Sahi win awards for excellence in gender responsive reporting

JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 16 March 2015

Four journalists were honored for their contributions to labour and gender reporting at the second media awards ceremony by the ILO. The awards recognize efforts to improve media coverage of critical social issues.
Summary

ISLAMABAD: Four journalists from print and electronic media won awards Monday for excellence in reporting on issues related to labour and gender in a tough contest during the second media awards ceremony organized by International Labour Organization.

‘Reporter of the Year’ award was won by Shahzada Irfan (pictured) of The News on Sunday on the basis of the portfolio of reporting during the period of a year.

In the print media category, Aoun Sahi of The News on Sunday won the award for the best story. His article ‘Work until Tehminas Die’ focuses on plight of domestic workers, lack of legal safeguards for them and efforts by domestic workers and human rights activists to have their labour rights recognized by the state.

Iram Noor of the You Magazine won the award for the ‘Best Female Gender and Labour Reporter’ of the year. She was also awarded for excellence in reporting for her work printed during the last year.

In the electronic media category, Mohammad Kamran Butt of Geo News won the award for his short documentary “Aisay Waisay Log” (The Insignificant People) that focuses on issues of domestic workers and their efforts at organizing themselves to have their rights recognized

“The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge media professionals who demonstrate a passionate commitment to reporting that makes a difference in the lives of people around the world,” a statement issued by the ILO said.

Speaking on the occasion Sherry Rehman, President of Jinnah Institute, lauded the role of ILO for highlighting gender and labour issues through media.

“I appreciate the ILO and Canadian government for their efforts to train our journalists on these issues as our journalists lack training and professional skills to work on the sensitive issues like gender and labour,” she said.

KEY POINTS:

Shahzada Irfan won 'Reporter of the Year' for his impactful reporting.
Aoun Sahi's article focused on the rights of domestic workers.
Iram Noor was recognized as the best female gender and labour reporter.
Mohammad Kamran Butt received an award for a documentary on domestic workers.
The awards highlight the importance of training journalists on gender and labour issues.