| Hong Kong, April 19, 2010 – The South China Morning Post has won a record 14 prizes in the 14th Annual Human Rights Press Awards, co-organized by the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Amnesty International Hong Kong and The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong. Awards were given in recognition of outstanding reporting of human rights during a ceremony on 17 April, 2010. The Post collected the top prizes and special merits across different categories, dominating the awards by beating major international newsweeklies and agencies, as well as local and regional newspapers. The team of Alan Morison, Chutima Sidasathian and Maseeh Rahman, former international editor Ian Young and chief Asia correspondent Greg Torode won the general news prize for exposing a secret Thai army policy of detaining Rohingya boatpeople from Myanmar, towing them to sea and abandoning them. He Huifeng and Shi Jiangtao were given special merit under the same category for their story "Hunan’s stricken village", which examined the harrowing effects of chemical pollution on villagers. Mark O’Neil also won special merit for coverage of mainland lawyers battling to reform the system. Dr. DaviIn the Features section the main prize went to reporters Raymond Li and Al Guo for their coverage of the Sichuan earthquake one year on. Paul Mooney won the prize for the magazine section for a gripping story of how young men were being kidnapped as slave labour in brick factories on the mainland. Additionally, three special merits were obtained within these two sections. Articles "Shock and awe in Myanmar’s ‘diplomacy’" and "Face up to tragedy so nation can move on", written by Greg Torode and Ramon Odlum respectively, were the sole winners in the commentary and analysis category. Besides editorial pieces, the South China Morning Post also scooped 4 awards with their cartoon and photographic works. Cartoonist Harry Harrison won a special prize for a body of work. Photographers Sam Tsang and K.Y. Cheng won special merit awards in the spot news section for photographs depicting the life of "cage men" in Hong Kong and the effects of pollution on health. Violet Law, of Post Magazine, won the main prize for photo features with her work Writing Wrongs. Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post, Reginald Chua, said the paper was delighted to have stood out among a very strong competitive field. "These awards attract the best work from local, regional and international news organisations in Asia; we very pleased that the judges ranked us among the top in the region," said Chua. The complete list of South China Morning Post’s awards received during the 14th Annual Human Rights Press Awards is as follows: English-Language Categories General News Prize – "Thailand’s Secret Refugees" by Alan Morison, Chutima Sidasathian, Maseeh Rahman, Ian Young, Greg Torode Special Merit – "Hunan’s Stricken Village" by He Huifeng, Shi Jiangtao Special Merit – "The Mainland Public Defenders Who Want to Reform the System" by Mark O’Neil Features Prize – "One Year on the Sichuan Earthquake" by Raymond Li, Al Guo Special Merit – "A People Ignored" by Paul Mooney Special Merit – "20 Years On From Tiananmen" by Albert Wong, Eva Wu, Vivian Wu Magazines Prize – "The Lost Boys" by Paul Mooney Special Merit – "Human Resource" by Simon Parry Commentary and Analysis Special Merit – "Shock and Awe in Myanmar’s ‘Diplomacy’" by Greg Torode Special Merit – "Face up to Tragedy so Nation can Move On" by Ramon Odlum Cartoon Special Prize – Harry Harrison for a body of work Photojournalism Features Prize – "Writing Wrongs" by Violet Law and Du Bin of Post Magazine Spot News Special Merit – "Life in Cage" by Sam Tsang Special Merit – "Pollution Leaves Its Mark" by K.Y. Cheng About the South China Morning Post SCMP Group Limited (SEHK: 583) is a leading newspaper and magazine publisher in Asia. Its flagship publication, South China Morning Post, is Hong Kong’s premier English language newspaper and has the city’s most affluent and influential readership. First published in 1903, the newspaper has developed an enviable reputation for authoritative, influential and independent reporting on Hong Kong, China and the rest of Asia. Its online platform, scmp.com, reaches a global audience of China watchers with daily breaking news, multimedia articles and interactive forums. Striving to maintain the highest standards among the world’s quality newspapers, the South China Morning Post receives constant international recognition. It received over 40 awards in 2009 for excellence in editorial, marketing and technical capability. Most recently, the South China Morning Post received 6 awards at the 31st International Annual Creative Design Competition for Newspapers and Magazines, and scooped 12 awards at the 2009 Society for Publisher’s in Asia (SOPA) editorial excellence awards, more than any other media company. Other publication titles of the Group include the Sunday Morning Post, the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and CosmoGirl! magazines. |
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