Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will speak with lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, April 18 from NATO headquarters in Brussels. In the exclusive joint interview, which will air Wednesday on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, they will discuss Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, North Korea and the presidential election.
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer airs week days 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (ET). A transcript and embeddable video clips from the interview will be available via www.CNNPressroom.com.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
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CONTACT:
Megan Grant Washington, D.C. 202.515.2920 megan.grant@cnn.com
On Thursday, Jan. 19, just two days before the highly anticipated primary election in South Carolina, CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) will present a presidential town hall debate live from the North Charleston Coliseum. The two-hour debate will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be moderated by CNN anchor and chief national correspondent John King.
Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, John King and Soledad O’Brien will anchor their respective programs live and on-location in Charleston on Thursday. Then, on Saturday, Jan. 21, the anchors will be live beginning at 6 p.m. from the CNN Election Center for America’s Choice 2012: South Carolina Primary. A special edition of Anderson Cooper 360° will air at 11 p.m. followed by a special live midnight edition of Piers Morgan Tonight. Candy Crowley will report from South Carolina throughout Saturday evening and will anchor State of the Union on Sunday, Jan. 22.
From Sam Feist, CNN senior vice president and Washington bureau chief:
As we move in to 2012, I am pleased to announce new positions for two of our key leaders of CNN Politics.
MARK PRESTON becomes CNN Political Director. In this role, Mark will be CNN’s primary contact with political campaigns at both the state and national level. His work is integral to organizing critical CNN events such as presidential debates and forums. He will help set editorial direction for CNN’s programs during the election season, including primary and election nights. Mark is also one of the great political reporters in Washington and we will continue to lean on Mark’s reporting and analysis both on TV and online throughout the coming campaign. Mark will report to Eric Sherling.
PAUL STEINHAUSER becomes CNN Political Editor and supervising producer of the CNN Political Unit. He will be responsible for overseeing CNN’s political newsgathering operations. As the leader of the political beat, Paul will be responsible for assigning and managing CNN’s political coverage team including correspondents, producers, desk editors, polling, research, and the CNN Political Ticker. Paul’s proven leadership and keen political analysis will be invaluable as CNN heads into this historic election year. Paul and the Political Unit will report to Edith Chapin.
Network Experiences Highest Delivery Ever
Key Programs Post Best Ever Milestones; Shows Experience Triple Digit Growth
Fueled by the launch of new programming, coverage of high-profile trials and continued success of established shows, HLN is experiencing a landmark 2011. The "must see, must share" news network is posting its best ever Total Day among total viewers (334k), up +21% vs. 2010*, the greatest year-over-year gain across all cable news networks. In M-Su Prime, HLN is up +12% in P2+ (501k vs. 449k) and +3% in P25-54 (149k vs. 145k) vs. prior year.
*Nielsen YTD-December 11, 2011 vs. same time period a year ago (12/27/10-12/11/11 vs. 12/28/09-12/12/10)
Programming Highlights Include:
Morning Express with Robin Meade (6-10 a.m. ET) is topping MSNBC's "Morning Joe" in P25-54 (153k vs. 148k) for the second straight year, ranking #2 among cable morning news shows.
Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell (7-8 p.m. ET) is up +22% in P2+ (508k vs. 416k) and +2% in P25-54 (156k vs. 153k).
Nancy Grace (8-9 p.m. ET) had her best telecast ever in both P2+ (2.9M) and P25-54 (1.3M) on 7/5 and is up +8% in P2+ (748k vs. 693k) vs. 2010. Grace's social media platforms also had a banner year, including her Facebook page which currently has more than 830,000 fans, increasing +66% since Jan, and on average, receives 8,000 plus daily likes and comments. @nancygracehln has increased 25x vs. Jan, with 193,000 Twitter follwers.
Dr. Drew (9-10 p.m. ET) is delivering a solid 592k P2+ and 172k P25-54 since launching on 4/4, an increase of +20% and +26%, respectively, vs. same time period last year.
HLN Special Report w/Vinnie Politan (5-6 p.m. ET) is averaging an impressive 541k P2+ and 156k P25-54 since premiering on 5/2, increasing +176% and +93%, respectively, vs. same time period last year.
HLN Weekend Mysteries (Saturday's 7 p.m.-6 a.m.) is up +66% in P2+ and +56% in P25-54 since debuting on 3/5 vs. same time period year-ago .
Coverage of the Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray Trials Resulted in Additional Milestones for HLN, Including:
During the quarter hour the Anthony verdict was read on 7/5 (2:15-2:30 p.m. ET), HLN was the most watched network in all of television, delivering 5.2M total viewers and 1.9M P25-54.
Anthony closing arguments on Sun, 7/3 ranked as HLN’s best day ever among P2+ in Total Day (2.2M).
During the quarter hour the Murray verdict was read on 11/7 (4:15-4:30 p.m. ET), HLN delivered 2.1M P2+ and 762k P25-54, and ranked #1 among all ad-supported cable networks among P25-54 during the entire 4-5 p.m. ET hour.
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Kid Rock to Perform a Special Version of "Care" and Miley Cyrus Added as a Celebrity Presenter
CNN, the worldwide leader in news, announced today that Kid Rock will perform a special live version of "Care" from his platinum selling album, “Born Free”, on CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, on CNN, Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET. In addition, CNN announced that Miley Cyrus has also been added as a celebrity presenter along with Dancing with the Stars winner, J.R. Martinez, The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, global maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington Burns, and NFL Super Bowl champ and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, all of whom were confirmed last week. CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute honors individuals who are making extraordinary contributions to help improve the lives of others. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the multiple Emmy®-award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN, will be doing exclusive backstage interviews live on CNN.com during the show.
This news comes on the heels of CNN announcing that J.R. Martinez will also be co-hosting the live pre-show, Showbiz Tonight @ CNN Heroes, with AJ Hammer, host of HLN's evening show, Showbiz Tonight. Holly Robinson Peete will be hosting the social media suite on the red carpet. Showbiz Tonight’s correspondent, Kareen Wynter, will also be part of the pre-show, interviewing the arriving celebrities on the red carpet. The Showbiz Tonight @ CNN Heroes pre-show will air live on CNN and HLN at 7:00 PM ET.
Fans are encouraged to vote up to 10 times a day, every day, for this year’s “CNN Hero of the Year”. Voting continues through Wednesday, December 7, 2011, at midnight PT, and the “CNN Hero of the Year” will be announced live at this year’s CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute show. Fans can also make a direct charitable donation to their favorite Top 10 CNN Heroes’ nonprofit using Google Wallet, through December 31, 2011. Google is waiving all transaction fees enabling 100 percent of the donations to go directly to the heroes’ non-profit organizations. Visit CNNHeroes.com online or on your mobile device to learn more about the 2011 honorees, cast your vote and to donate.
Kelly Flynn is the Senior Executive Producer for the “CNN Heroes” initiative and CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. This year’s show will be produced by Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted.
As Florida plans to move their primary up to Jan. 31, 2012, speeding up the GOP presidential nomination process, CNN and the Republican Party of Florida announced today they will co-host a debate. It will take place at the end of January in Jacksonville, Fla. among the 2012 Republican presidential candidates in the pivotal early voting state.
“With the Florida Republican primary now scheduled for Jan. 31, that state’s central role in helping Republicans choose a nominee is now secure,” said Sam Feist, CNN Washington bureau chief and senior vice president. “CNN is proud to present voters in Florida an opportunity to hear from the candidates one final time before they head to the polls.” FULL POST
“The Death of Michael Jackson: Dr. Conrad Murray on Trial” Includes Pre and Post Trial Analysis, Live Courtroom Action, Two-Part Documentary
HLN is America’s television destination for coverage of the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the man accused of causing the death of Michael Jackson. Beginning today, HLN’s deep bench of talent provides a complete view of events in and around the Los Angeles Superior Court, as well as a comprehensive exploration into the lives of the Jackson family and Murray. Network hosts and reporters including Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell, AJ Hammer, Ryan Smith and Vinnie Politan deliver up to the minute reports on the latest trial action, and hosts Dr. Drew Pinsky, Joy Behar and Robin Meade feature special programming daily on their respective shows.
“HLN’s team is fully committed to presenting all aspects of the trial. Our programming will shed light on an incredibly complex man, his family and what led to his untimely death,” said Scot Safon, GM and EVP, HLN. “HLN will feature a variety of voices and an array of expertise that will thoughtfully analyze the motivations of the people involved in this story.”
As opening arguments begin on Tue, Sep 27, HLN will air gavel-to-gavel coverage each day beginning at 11 a.m. ET, providing pre and post trial analysis from inside and outside the Los Angeles County Courthouse.
Each hour of HLN’s signature programs throughout the day will provide a distinct look at this gripping drama as it unfolds: (all times eastern)
Morning Express with Robin Meade 6 a.m. – 11am
One of the top-rated morning shows in the country, Morning Express with Robin Meade gives viewers their daily courtroom developments while also exploring the human connection.
Special Report at 11 a.m.
Host Vinnie Politan, a lawyer and former prosecutor, will take viewers through the daily events in the courtroom and get to the two characters at the center of this story: Dr. Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson.
News Now at 3 p.m.
Live from Los Angeles, Hosts Ryan Smith and Jane Velez-Mitchell bring viewers up the minute developments in the courtroom as they happen while analyzing what the viewers have seen. Smith, a former entertainment attorney and host of InSession, gets to the heart of the story with his curiosity and connects the dots to find the truth behind what people are saying.
Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell at 7 p.m.
Utilizing Velez-Mitchell's years of experience covering Jackson during his previous legal battles, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell pursues the truth by following the details of the trial and the characters at the center of the headlines.
Nancy Grace at 8 p.m.
Grace, the most prominent legal expert in media, uses her expertise to seek justice and serves up daily legal developments, delivering up-to-the-minute details of the trial's twists and turns.
Dr Drew at 9 p.m.
As a doctor and addiction specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky takes center stage and tackles the celebrity culture, demystifying why players at the heart of this story do what they do. Pinsky explores the behaviors of celebrity addicts as well as the doctors who treat them and how Jackson’s story ended in tragedy.
The Joy Behar Show at 10 p.m.
Behar explores Michael’s life and the Jackson family dynamic, adding color and context to the discussion from her celebrity guests and panelists. Behar gets the answers to the questions her viewers are asking and connects them to the story.
Showbiz Tonight at 11 p.m.
Showcasing Hammer’s years of reporting on Hollywood and the music industry, Showbiz Tonight highlights why Jackson’s music still matters, his legacy and how this trial impacts millions of fans globally.
In addition, HLN chronicles the mysterious life and death of Jackson in a two-part documentary, The Death of Michael Jackson: Dr. Conrad Murray on Trial airing on Sat, Sep 24, at 9 p.m. (ET). Hosted by Grace, the documentary features expert commentary by HLN’s Dr. Drew Pinsky, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Joy Behar, Vinnie Politan, Robin Meade, AJ Hammer and Ryan Smith who dissect the question: “how did it come to this?” Part one, airing Sep 24, examines the mysterious live and death of Michael Jackson and ultimately how it led to Conrad Murray being on trial. Part two, will feature details from inside the trial and the dramatic developments that led to the verdict with expert analysis from HLN’s team and reaction from around the world.
Athena Jones will join CNN as a general assignment correspondent, it was announced today by Sam Feist, Washington bureau chief and senior vice president. Jones will report on a wide range of general news stories and will appear on programs across the network. Jones will be based in the Washington D.C. bureau and will begin her position with the network immediately.
“Athena will be an outstanding addition to our political team,” said Feist. “Her experience covering the White House, politics and international affairs are a perfect fit for the Washington bureau.”
“I’m excited to be joining the CNN team,” said Jones. “And look forward to getting started.”
Previously, Jones was a White House producer with NBC, where she wrote packages, produced story segments and reported on air for MSNBC and NBC News. Jones covered the Clinton and Obama presidential campaigns during the 2008 election cycle for NBC and the National Journal. Prior to NBC, Jones served as a freelance segment producer for CNN. From 2001 to 2003, Jones worked as a reporter for Reuters based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she covered the Argentine presidential elections as well as other general news stories. Prior to Reuters, Jones reported on politics and the economy in both Chile and Argentina for Bloomberg News.
Jones graduated cum laude from Harvard University and earned her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. She studied Spanish and European politics at the University of Madrid Complutense in Madrid, Spain; and studied Islamic studies at the American Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, with Duke University.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
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CONTACT:
Edie Emery Washington 202.898.7657
edie.emery@cnn.com
Jennifer Scoggins Washington 202.515.2947
jennifer.scoggins@cnn.com
Fatuma Noor from Kenyahas been awarded the top prize at this year’s CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 Awards Ceremony.
Fatuma Noor, who works for The Star Kenya, won for her investigative three-part series on the ‘Al-Shabaab’, which was chosen from among 1407 entries from 42 nations across the African continent.
The series tells the story of the young men who give up their freedom abroad to return and fight for the ‘Al-Shabaab’ in one of the world’s most dangerous places on earth –Somalia.
Fatuma Noor was one of the 27 finalists at the Awards ceremony on Saturday evening and was a winner in the category ‘General News Award (Print).’
The Awards, which rotate location each year in tribute to their pan-African credentials, were held at a Gala ceremony hosted by CNN and MultiChoice at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa this evening, Saturday 25th June.
Nolo Letele, Executive Chairman, MultiChoice South Africa and Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President of international newsgathering for CNN Worldwide presented Fatuma Noor with the Award.
Fatuma said: "I want to thank my mum and my boss Catherine, who believed in me when no one else did. There was a time in my life when I thought about giving up, but with this Award I'm not giving up any time soon."
Chair of the judging panel, journalist and media consultant Joel Kibazo said: “The judges were impressed with the high quality of entries to the competition this year, and this intrepid young journalist has shown great courage and determination in going the extra mile to tell this fascinating story. Fatuma Noor’s three-part series on the Al-Shabaab provides a detailed and personalised portrait of the young men who leave their comfortable western lives to join one of the world’s most ruthless militant groups in Somalia.”
Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President of International Newsgathering for CNN Worldwide, said: “Tonight’s journalists join an ever-growing community of excellence, each one representing the very best in African journalism. The collective talent celebrated here this evening is a sign of the increasingly assured voice in whichAfricais telling its unique and myriad story. I congratulate them all."
Nolo Letele, Executive Chairman MultiChoice South Africa group said: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with CNN for these awards. And we are even more proud to play a part in telling the stories of Africa. It is thanks to the excellence of these journalists that Africahas a voice on the international stage. Our warmest congratulations go out to the winners.”
Collins Khumalo, President MultiChoice Africa, said: “Congratulations to all the 2011 winners, we hope the acknowledgment you’ve received this year will inspire you to continue telling the African story to the world. Although there can only be one overall winner, we’d like to salute each and every journalist that entered. Without your hard work and support, the ongoing development of democracy and diversity of the media across the African continent would not be possible.”
The evening also recognised Mahamud Abdi Jama as this year’s recipient of the Free Press Africa Award, for his work in Somalia. His situation was noted by the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) in New York. He wrote a critical article about the government there and was jailed for just over a month and released when pressure was put on the government of Somalia.
The CNN MultiChoice competition is now in its 16th year. The prestigious sponsors include: African Development Bank; Coca-Cola Africa; Ecobank, IPP Media, Tanzania; Ericsson; Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD); Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry® solution; South African Tourism and A24 Media. The Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg is the delegate hotel for this year’s Awards.
The Awards’ 27 finalists from 13 countries enjoyed an all expenses paid five day programme of workshops, media forums, networking and had the opportunity to see some of the sights of Johannesburgprior to the Awards Ceremony.
Ways To Watch the African Journalist Awards:
Viewers across the continent and across the world will be able to watch the African Journalist Awards in the following ways:
The overall CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 wins a substantial cash prize, a visit to CNN Centre inAtlanta, to attend the three-week CNN Journalism Fellowship, along with the prize awarded to all category winners, which consists of a laptop computer, printer, a BlackBerry and a cash prize.
Winners in the individual competition categories are:
ARTS & CULTURE AWARD, presented by Mwambu Wanendeya, Vice President and Head of Communications, Ericsson sub Saharan Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Winner: Kofi Akpabli, Freelance for DailyGraphic,Ghana.
Title: ‘What is right with Akpeteshie?’
Judge’s Citation: “Kofi Akpabli’s story uses the most enriching and fantastic language to explain why Akpeteshie, a local brew, is the equivalent of a liquid national heritage. Kofi not only educates and enlightens us to the history and best practices of this national beverage – but he also does it with humour and style. A worthy return winner.”
DIGITAL JOURNALISM AWARD, presented by Craige Fleischer, regional
director for Southern Africa at Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind
the BlackBerry® solution.
Winner: The Dispatch Online Team on behalf of ‘The Daily Dispatch’ inSouth Africa.
Title: ‘Failed Futures’
Judge’s citation: “This website won because, for the second year in a row, the ‘Daily Dispatch’ team has displayed a wonderful creativity to produce first class journalism with the new tools of the digital age. The website is about the many problems, but also the hopes and dreams of the teachers and pupils of a very poor area of Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Mbizana area has one of the worst records for education inSouth Africa.”
ECONOMICS & BUSINESS AWARD, presented by William Asiko, President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation.
Winner: Sylvia Chebet and Kimani Githae, Citizen TV,Kenya.
Title: ‘An uphill task’
Judge’s Citation: “The story highlighted the fact that in spite of the millions of dollars spent on ensuring wide coverage, there are still potential profit centres not yet reached. This story demonstrates that the demand inKenya is there.”
ENVIRONMENT AWARD, presented by Richard Uku Head, External Relations & Communication, African Development Bank.
Winner: Lamia Hassan, Business Today Egypt, Egypt.
Title: ‘Washed up’
Judge’s Citation: “She covered a fairly technical subject – the environment in simple but attractive language. It is an issue we are seeing in many parts ofAfrica.”
FRANCOPHONE GENERAL NEWS AWARD: PRINT, presented by Ethar El-Kataney, Egyptian journalist and winner of the 2009 Economics and Business Award, CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.
Winner: Rabin Bhujun, L'Express Dimanche,Mauritius.
Title: ‘Le vrai pouvoir des castes’
Judge’s Citation: “This story stands out in the Francophone Print category as yet another master piece on investigative journalism in Mauritius. In his insightful account about the casts’ influence on the political system – one of the un-stated realities of Mauritius – Rabin demonstrates integrity, well-organised research and good writing skills.”
FRANCOPHONE GENERAL NEWS AWARD: TV / (RADIO), presented by Ethar El-Kataney, Egyptian journalist and winner of the 2009 Economics and Business Award, CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.
Winner: Claudine Efoa Atohoun, ORTB, Benin.
Title: ‘Le barrage de Nagbéto: Outil de développement ou source de nuisance’
Judge’s Citation: “The ‘Nagbéto Dam’ story stood out among Francophone Radio entries as an excellent piece of radio journalism. Claudine demonstrates good journalistic skills – research, balance and clarity – and tells a very relevant story through a competent use of radio techniques.”
FREE PRESS AFRICA AWARD, presented by Joel Kibazo, Chair of the judging panel.
Winner: Mahamud Abdi Jama,Waaheen Media,Somalia.
Judge’s Citation: “The freedom to operate as a journalist is at the core of the media industry and this award is acknowledgement and recognition of the efforts Mahamud has gone to, in order to tell the story."
HIV/AIDS REPORTING IN AFRICA AWARD, presented by Sam Rogers, CNN MultiChoice African Journalist, 2010.
Winner: Beryl Ooro, K24 TV, Kenya.
Title: ‘HIV infection among senior citizens in Kenya’
Judge’s Citation: “The story is brilliant and fascinating. For too long, the story of HIV / AIDS pandemic in Africa has been told that one begins to wonder if there is anything new to say. And then, here is a story that throws up an entirely new perspective which shows that an age group (octogenarians) hitherto considered not at risk can also be vulnerable.”
MSD HEALTH & MEDICAL AWARD, presented byAshley Pearce, CEO MSD South Africa.
Winner: Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye,Sunday Punch,Nigeria.
Title: ‘Luth's Ransome – Kuti's Children’s Centre’
Judge’s Citation: “It is a good investigative story, well written yet told in a simple manner. It is activism journalism at its best, since after the story was published something was done to improve the situation.”
MOHAMED AMIN PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD, presented by Salim Amin, Chairman, A24 Media.
Winner: Norman Katende, freelance for The New Vision, Uganda.
Title: ‘When death strikes’
Judge’s Citation: “This entry was not chosen for the depth of its composition or the framing. When you are shooting within minutes of a massive bomb-blast, those elements of photography are not top of mind. Instead, these shocking, heart-breaking images won for news value, for flashing across the globe the pain of the Ugandan bomb-blasts that placed such a pall over the World Cup.”
PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE GENERAL NEWS AWARD, presented by Arlindo Lopes, media consultant
Winner: Selma Marivate, TV Miramar, Mozambique.
Title: ‘O Movimento Rastafari em Mocambique’
Judge’s Citation: “This story stood out in the Portuguese language category as a comprehensive piece of TV journalism, an in-depth account of a group of followers of the Rastafari movement in Mozambique. It is a well balanced story, with a wide range of interviews, beautiful video shots and soundbites, which makes it a reference in this particular category.”
PRINT GENERAL NEWS AWARD, presented by Sebastian Ashong-Katai,
Group Head Financial Institutions & international organisations, Ecobank group.
Winner: Fatuma Noor, The Star,Kenya.
Title: ‘Investigative three-part series on the Al-Shabaab’
Judge’s Citation: “The judges elected this story in its category but also unanimously agreed this was the overall winner of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2011. It is an investigative story about the Al-Shabaab, which brings to the fore an insight view about the militia group, through comprehensive accounts from its own recruits and representatives, as well as through the journalists own experience of a dramatic encounter with armed militiamen in Somalia. Thanks to Fatuma’s excellent writing skills, the story also emerges an engaging piece of reading.”
RADIO GENERAL NEWS AWARD, presented by, Graham Wood, Managing Director – Southern Sun Hotels.
Winner: Melini Moses, SABC,South Africa.
Title: ‘Hillbrow – Den of Iniquity’
Judge’s Citation: “Melini brings the listener on a journey of discovery to a neglected, crime-ridden and rundown area ofJohannesburg. Her ability to describe the small details makes the audience feel that they are there walking the streets with her. Melini is a true story-teller and a clear winner in this category.”
SPORT AWARD, presented by Collins Khumalo, President MultiChoice Africa.
Winner: Kamau Mutunga, DN2 Magazine, Daily Nation, Kenya.
Title: ‘Soccer and Superstition (Animal body parts and snake blood on the pitch)’
Judge’s Citation: “This is an informative romp through the story of superstition in soccer in Kenya. It is elegantly written and while it spans several decades, it moves quickly and with a light touch. A sidebar shows this is by no means only an African issue – it gives insight into all countries from France to Brazil. “
TELEVISION – GENERAL NEWS – FEATURE/CURRENT AFFAIRS AWARD, presented by Reginald Mengi, Executive Chairman, IPP Media, Tanzania.
Winner: Lindile Mpanza, e.tv, South Africa.
Title: ‘Silence of the innocents’
Judge’s Citation: “The story won because it was well researched and comprehensive. The reporter went to the village where she spent some time and spoke to all the dramatis personae – the young girls that are being kidnapped, the men who do the kidnappings, parents of the abused girls and the police. It is a great piece of journalism which exposed the debilitating practice that many people ordinarily will not associate with a country as developed as South Africa. It is everything that good television story should be – absorbing and flawless delivery.”
TELEVISION – GENERAL NEWS – NEWS BULLETIN AWARD, presented by Jeff Kupsky, President, Turner Broadcasting System Europe Ltd.
Winner: Farouk Kayondo, UBC,Uganda.
Title: ‘Watching in the hood’
Judge’s Citation: “The story is a winner because it’s well told and it focussed on the other side of Johannesburg that’s easily forgotten during such big events. No one is too poor to catch the soccer actions, according to the story.”
TOURISM AWARD, presented by Thandiwe January-McLean, Chief Executive Officer, South African Tourism.
Winner: Benon Herbert Oluka, DailyMonitor,Uganda.
Title: ‘Why Ugandans would rather watch goat races than visit their national parks or heritage sites’
Judge’s Citation: “This story won because it displays a very well documented work on the reasons why Ugandans don’t go to visit their own museums and national sites.”
Again this year the Judges highlighted some excellent work and awarded Commendations in nine categories. These journalists participated in the finalists’ programme in Sandton and received a cash prize and Certificates of Commendation:
Sonny Serite, Freelance for The SundayStandard,Botswana
Virgil Augustin Pascal Houesson, L'événement Précis, Benin
Nigel M. Nassar, The NewVision,Uganda
Portia Solomon, TV3 News, Ghana
José Bouças de Oliveira, Televisão Santomense, São Tomé
Nkula Zau, Televisão Pública de Angola, Angola
Kipchumba Some, The Standard,Kenya
Nnamdi Okosieme, NextNewspaper,Nigeria
Mark Klusener, eNews Africa,South Africa
Note to Editors: Competition Criteria
To enter the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 competition the journalist must be an African national and work on the continent for African owned, or headquartered, media organisations that produce a printed publication or broadcast through an electronic medium (television broadcaster, radio station or website) primarily targeted at and received by an African audience. All winning entries were broadcast or published during January – December 2010
**Criteria change 2011**
This year, it was decided to reduce the number of entries submitted by an individual journalist to two stories across all categories, ensuring that journalists carefully reviewed their stories of 2010 and focussed on their best one or two stories of the year.
Note to Editors:
The independent judging panel, chaired by Joel Kibazo, Journalist and Media Consultant, includes: Ikechukwu Amaechi, Editor, Daily Independent, Nigeria; Jean-Paul Gérouard, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, France 3 TV; Ferial Haffajee, Editor-in-Chief, City Press, South Africa; Arlindo Lopes, Media Consultant; Zipporah Musau, Managing Editor, Magazines, The Standard Group Ltd, Kenya; Kim Norgaard, CNN Bureau Chief, South Africa and this year CNN’s sports anchor Pedro Pinto joined the panel to assist in the judging of the Portuguese General News Category.
MultiChoice Africa Corporate Social Responsibility:
MultiChoice Africa, the continent’s leading satellite pay TV service, is committed to building a sustainable business in Africa as well as to investing in corporate social investment projects which contribute to the growth and development of the continent. The key focus is on education and the uplifting of the communities in which MultiChoice does business. To this end, MultiChoice Africa has established more than 1000 MultiChoice Resource Centres in 27 countries across Africa. These school Resource Centres are set up in partnership with government to help improve the quality of educational resources by using technology and rich education channels from DStv.
Turner Broadcasting Corporate Social Responsibility:
Over the last three years Turner staff have raised almost $250,000 to build schools in Mali,Rwanda and Malawi, and these have featured on CNN’s ‘BackStory’ programme. The company also donated funds to these projects and several million dollars worth of airtime to Plan International, Turner's NGO partner, as well as funding the trips for the volunteers who helped build the schools. Over the last five years the company and its staff have also provided houses in South Africa with Habitat for Humanity and schooling, food, drugs and transport for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS inKenyawith UNICEF. Using their paid volunteer time staff have also created advertisements and logos for African charities and CNN has donated airtime. With company support staff will be building another school in Africain 2012.
PRESS CONTACTS:
CNN International:
Claudia Coles: Claudia.Coles@turner.com
+ 44 7785 725705
CNN International /London:
Joel Brown: Joel.brown@turner.com
+ 44 20 7693 0967
+ 44 7967 293452
MultiChoiceSouth Africa:
Marietjie Groenewald: Marietjie.groenewald@multichoice.co.za
+ 27 11 289 3067
+ 27 79 501 1758
MultiChoiceAfrica:
Caroline Creasy: Ccreasy@multichoice.co.za
+ 27 11 289 3081
+ 27 82 333 4603
African Journalist Awards Social Media:
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Issued: Saturday 25 June 2011
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HLN TO AIR DISASTER RELIEF SPECIAL ON SUN, MAY 15
Robin Meade Has Close Ties to Country Music Community; Honored in Role to Help Raise Funds
CMT has tapped HLN anchor Robin Meade to co-host Thursday’s “Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert,” airing live from the Grand Ole Opry House stage and Studio A on Thu, May 12, 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. HLN will re-broadcast “Music Rebuilds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert” in its entirety on Sun, May 15, 9 p.m. ET/8p.m. CT, to build additional awareness and funds to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief effort in the South. FULL POST
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