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In December 2005, the Jesuit Refugee Service launched
the first edition of its Journalist Prize.
Aspiring journalists were invited to investigate
the reality behind the headlines by asking students
across Europe to write an article on the theme 'Refugees
in Europe'.
At 2pm on April the 18th 2006 at a prize-giving ceremony at the European
Parliament, the Jesuit Refugee Service announced the winners of the competition
for student journalists.
The winners, decided by a panel of professional journalists, were Kasper Tveden
Jensen, studying in Denmark, for his article 'Suicidal Silence'; Hélène Hofman,
studying in Ireland, for her article 'Waiting to Check Out'; and Kirsty Whalley,
studying in the United Kingdom, for her article 'Destitute Zimbawean Asylum
Seekers Stuck in Limbo in the United Kingdom'. Kasper Tveden Jensen, as winner
of the first prize, visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya,
as the guest of JRS Eastern Africa. The ceremony was hosted
Hiltrud Breyer MEP (Greens). Presenting the first prize
was Danish MEP Britta Thomsen (PSE). Apart from the
prize-winners themselves, also present were journalists
who were members of the jury, and sponsors of the
competition.
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Prize giving ceremony, European Parliament,
April 2006
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Third prize-winner Kirsty Whalley was unable to collect
her prize in Brussels: a Zimbabwean student journalist
whose family moved to Britain five years ago because of
the political situation in the country, she is having
problems getting her Zimbabwean passport renewed. This
is partly because she is a journalist. Instead she
received her prize in London on 9th May at the offices
of ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles).
To read a copy of the jury report follow the
link below:
Jury report 2005-2006 |
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