Amnesty Media Awards 2019 – Winners

The winners of Amnesty International UK’s prestigious Media Awards 2019 were announced at a ceremony in London on 3 April 2019.

The Guardian took home Amnesty’s Impact Award for its Windrush Scandal campaign, and imprisoned Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were recognised for their investigation into the massacre of Rohingya people in Inn Din state in Myanmar.

Channel 4 News, The Mail on Sunday and BBC Radio 4 were also winners on the night.

Amnesty’s Media Awards, which have been running annually since 1992, celebrate excellence in human rights journalism and applaud the courage and determination of journalists who often put their lives on the line to report on vital human rights issues.

The ceremony was held at Bafta in central London and was hosted by journalist and Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman.

During the ceremony, there was a moment of reflection for the 89 journalists who were imprisoned last year for their work. The event was also used to highlighted the case of Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney – two Northern Ireland journalists who could potentially face prison sentences for exposing police collusion in a massacre of six civilians in Loughinisland in 1994. The pair gave a speech about their experiences during the ceremony.

“Media work is vitally important for Amnesty and everything we do. This evening we’ve seen some brilliant journalism that has had enormous human rights impact.

“The reporting we’ve recognised has helped change lives – from the Windrush Generation in Britain to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

“Without a free press, it’s extremely difficult to expose wrong-doing and hold leaders to account. But even here in the UK we’re seeing it being threatened – especially with the sinister arrest of Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey in Northern Ireland last year.

“That’s why our awards are about congratulating the achievements of the media and championing its role in creating a fairer, more open world.”

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK

The Winners:

News (Broadcast)

Channel 4 News (Pacha Films)
Riding the Death Train to the US

Features

Corinne Redfern, Elle UK & Fuller Project
The Warriors: My Husband Sold Me To A Brothel

Radio and Podcasts

BBC Radio 4 (Falling Tree Productions)
Lights Out: A Sense of Quietness

Student Journalist

Claisse Opulencia, Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Landlords Offering Free Rent for Sex

Gaby Rado Award for Best New Journalist

Joe Wallen
The Telegraph

Investigation

Reuters
Myanmar Burning

Regional Media

BBC Northern Ireland
Spotlight: Buried Secrets

Photojournalism

Giles Duley (Humanity Magazine)
We are here because we are strong

Innovation

Al Jazeera Digital
Lost Childhoods: Nigeria’s fear of ‘witchcraft’ ruins young lives

News (Written Word)

Ian Birrell, The Mail on Sunday
Locked Up For Autism

Documentaries

BBC Two
Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess

Impact Award

Amelia Gentleman & The Guardian
Windrush Scandal

Contacts

If you have any queries in relation to entering the Media Awards, please email amnestymediaawards@keystone-group.co.uk or call 01453 872731. For any other queries about Amnesty International and their work, please contact:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK