New Delhi: reporting on the fate of victims of armed violence
10-11-2010 News Release 10/205
New Delhi (ICRC) – For the third consecutive year, Indian journalists have been taking part in a competition encouraging people in the media to understand humanitarian values and promoting high-quality reporting on the topic.
This year, participants had to write an article in a national or regional newspaper on "the fate of victims in situations of armed violence."
“The fear of a farmer living in an insecure area; the story of women who did not know why they were arrested or why they were being released and the rape of a 13-year-old girl are some of the topics covered in what the jury selected as 'best articles',” said Alexis Heeb, spokesperson for the ICRC in India. The aim of such a competition is to raise awareness of issues that the daily papers cover too rarely, or not well enough. "The competition also allowed many people from different backgrounds and regions to discuss this important issue.”
The event was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Press Institute of India, and ended on Wednesday with an awards ceremony at the India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
The winners were selected from a shortlist of 41 published articles, chosen from nearly 100 entries. Tusha Mittal (Tehelka) and Rahul Pandita (OPEN) took first and second place, with Chitrangada Choudhary (Hindustan Times) and Smita Gupta (Outlook Magazine) sharing third prize.
The jury was composed of journalists Pamela Philipose and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, together with Professor Tasneem Meenai, Acting Director of the Nelson Mandela Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University. Prizes were given to the winners by Mr V. Murali, Director of the Press Institute of India and by Mr François Stamm, ICRC's head of regional delegation.
For further information, please contact:
Alexis Heeb, ICRC New Delhi, tel: +91 97 1130 9561
V. Murali, Director of the Press Institute of India, tel: +91 98 400 93 131