|
Dubai: Al Jazeera English has won the award for 'Best 24-Hour News Programme' at the 48th Monte Carlo Television Festival.
The award recognised Al Jazeera English's international reach.
Al Jazeera English (AJE) beat entries from BBC News, Sky News, Lisboa TV and the Phoenix Satellite Television Company to take home the award.
Among the specific reports highlighted at the festival were Nour Odeh's reports from Gaza, as she was caught in the middle of a street battle between Hamas and Fatah.
While shooting live in Gaza, Nour and her producer Ashraf Al Amritti lost contact with the newsroom in Doha and were forced to rely on their mobile phone to continue reporting events.
Once the live video feed returned, Nour's cameraman, Iyad Al Dahdouh, filmed the continued fighting while coming under RPG and small arms fire.
Following the broadcast of the fighting on Al Jazeera, both sides in the Gaza battles agreed to a ceasefire.
In addition to the Best 24-Hour News Programme award, AJE received nominations in every news category at the awards show, including Best TV Item for James Bays' 'Taliban Embedded', which was awarded a second place prize, and Best News Documentary for Tony Birtley's 'Inside Myanmar - The Crackdown'.
Commenting on the nominations, AJE's Managing Director Tony Burman said: "For me, the award demonstrates the commitment of AJE's staff to give a voice to the voiceless, of telling vital stories that are not on the agenda of the western news networks.
"Whether risking their lives to cover the bloodshed in Gaza, to travel with a Taliban cell in Afghanistan or to tell the world the real story from inside Myanmar, where we are the only international broadcaster with a permanent presence, AJE employees are telling the untold story and are putting real people back at the centre of the news agenda."
|
