Honoring Excellence of Developing Asia's Journalists
THERE ARE not many professions in the world today where entrants come in expecting to change the world, but grassroots journalism in developing Asia is perhaps one of them.
There are precious few other rewards for these intrepid reporters, for whom low pay, lack of respect and transparency from officialdom, and even threats of physical violence and death are part of the daily diet of work.
But their dedication is recognized in the Developing Asia Journalism Awards, sponsored by the Tokyo-based Asian Development Bank Institute. This year's awards, to be presented in April in
Prizes for 2005 were awarded last Spring in the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) for reporting in four strategic areas of development, with winners and runners up each receiving cash prizes ranging from US$250 to $1,500. In addition, there were four special prizes of $2,000 each plus a trophy.
At age 25, last year's Development Journalist of the Year, P.K. Savad Rahman, is, amazingly, still in his first major job. He entered the Madhyamam Daily in 2000 to "tell some bitter truths for a sweet future of the world." His winning article on the plight of women trapped in the brothels of Mumbai certainly achieves that.
He has run the gauntlet of threats from religious zealots in the past. But writing has also had its rewards, he said, when he received a letter from a 12-year-old girl suffering from cancer after an article on the pain and palliative movement.
He said he was inspired to write his winning article because of a childhood experience of being told by a relative that these women were "born into sin." "When I looked into the lives of these people, most are forced to do it," he said. "But people are throwing stones at them, not trying to rehabilitate or help them."
Development Woman Journalist of the Year 2005, Xi Xiumei, said it had been her "dream to become an esteemed journalist." Her article for China Global Business and Finance on the underground money market in the People's Republic of China puts her well on the way to that goal.
She said that in her work, she is engaged in a lifelong pursuit of "the power of expression and the right to think."
"I wish to be an authentic witness... to this special era" of development in her country, she said.
Young Development Journalist of the Year 2005, Nepal's Sanjaya Dhakal, 29, of Spotlight magazine, said the award would help him "work for change for the betterment" of his society. He became a journalist to "help bridge the communication gap between those who govern and those who are governed."
Mr. Dhakal's winning article tackled the grim subject of domestic violence against women. He said his achievement in this and similar articles is that he can "continuously help in facilitating dialogue on critical issues" facing his country.
Fijian journalist Vasiti Valatia Ritova received an Island Journalist award for a collection of articles written for Pacnews. She said that she hopes her award will serve as an inspiration to all women in the Pacific islands. "I will use it to mentor my colleagues in Fiji and the Pacific," she said.
She said that she faces many difficulties in her profession, but wants to work to become a better journalist. "I sincerely feel that I have to be a partner in development in my region, writing stories that are well done and compelling," she said.
Their winning articles were among the almost 140 entries from 58 journalists across ADB's developing member countries. From these, 17 finalists from nine countries - including Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Viet Nam - were invited to a two-day media and orientation program in
ADBI Dean Peter McCawley said the awards were part of his organization's support for improved governance in
"Through sponsoring the DAJA program, the ADB Institute aims to lend support to the efforts of journalists from developing countries who write highquality reports about key social and economic issues facing the region. It is our aim to recognize both the individuals themselves, the individual journalists, as well as the importance of the specific issues they choose to highlight."
Join the 2006 DAJA program here. Deadline for submission of entries is on 17 February 2006.
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