Reuters makes final call for KSM Awards, announces seminar

"Journalists are reminded that the month of May is the final opportunity for submitting entries for this year's Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism," Belen Becerra, the programme co-ordinator at Thomson Reuters said in a news release issued on Monday. The deadline for submission for the awards is May 31st 2012.

The awards are named in memory of Kurt Schork, an American freelance journalist who was killed while on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone in 2000.

"Schork was widely respected as someone whose brave newsgathering informed the world about conflicts, corruption, and human rights abuses," according to Thomson Reuters.

These awards specifically honour the contribution of freelance journalists covering foreign news and reporters living and working in the developing world and countries in transition.

Categories

There are two categories of awards including: one for freelance journalists and the other for local reporters in developing nations or countries in transition.

Two winners, one in each category, are honoured annually at an awards ceremony held in London. Each award comes with a US$5 000 cash prize.

British journalist, Jerome Starkey was named last years winner in the category for freelance journalists covering foreign news. The judges said he had clearly taken high risks to get his stories in Afghanistan and Libya. Zimbabwe's Gertrude Fadziso Pswarayi who wrote about raped and exploited women in her country, won the local reporter category. Almost 90 journalists from around the world submitted entries for the 2011 Awards.

What the judges are looking for

The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF)'s panel of judges reviews submitted entries, looking for writing of a similar high journalistic standard and for evidence of special determination and courage in obtaining the story.

In assessing the entries, the panel also considers the investigative effort, resourcefulness and often courage involved in getting the story. The judges look out for the same kind of reporting high standards that Kurt Schork set himself in his journalistic career.

According to the eligibility requirements, each entrant can provide up to three articles for consideration in the awards. The articles should have been published between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012.

Sumbit an entry for the Kurt Schork Awards.

Reporting on Terrorism and Global Security seminar

In a related effort, the Thomson Reuters Foundation has invited journalists to apply to take part in "Reporting on Terrorism and Global Security", a three-day seminar in Istanbul, Turkey from 12-14 November 2012. The seminar will bring together security experts, authoritative commentators and journalists for a series of lively presentations and debates.

"The seminar will look critically at the role of the media and how journalists can avoid being exploited by terrorists to help them achieve their goals," the foundation announcement on Tuesday, 1 May 2012.

The key areas of discussion will include: fragile states; the Arab Spring and its impact on al Qaeda and Islamist political parties; the impact of turmoil in Libya and Syria on the security of Europe, Middle East and Africa; the impact of European economic turmoil on extremism; the risk of popular unrest in Russia and China; and Nuclear proliferation and Iran, among others.

For more information and to apply go to, Global Security Seminar: Reporting on terrorism and global security.