Zimbabwe 'Mediagate' journalist up for CNN award

Zimbabwe 'Mediagate' journalist up for CNN award

• UK Commons award winner Muleya honoured

• Muleya scoops Commons award

• Mugabe thugs threaten to shoot Independent journalists

• Reporter Muleya attacked

• Mugabe undermining judiciary

By Staff Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Independent news editor Dumisani Muleya has been nominated as one of the 21 finalists for the prestigious CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2006 Competition out of 1 530 entrants from 43 countries.

Also nominated is Daily Mirror photographer, Desmond Kwande, in the photography category.

Muleya, who has won other awards before, was nominated for his "Mediagate" stories on the take-over of private newspapers by Zimbabwe's state security services. Daily Mirror photographer Desmond Kwande is also one of the finalists. Other finalists are from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mozambique.

Former Independent journalists Sunsleey Chamunorwa, now Financial Gazette editor, Brian Hungwe, now with the SABC, and Dumisani Ndlela, have won category awards at the competition.

Standard news editor Walter Marwizi and former Daily News photographer Tsvangirai Mukwazhi have also picked up awards in the past.

The chairman of the independent panel of judges, Joel Kibazo, said the competition, now in its eleventh year, received "a record number of entries from 43 countries across Africa.

"The winners of the competition will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Maputo at the Polana Serena Hotel on Saturday July 15," Kibazo said. "These awards are important because they highlight the depth of talent we have on the African continent."

The co-hosts for the event will be Femi Oke, anchor and reporter for CNN's Inside Africa, and Jeff Koinange, CNN's Africa correspondent.

The panel of judges, chaired by Kibazo, also director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Commonwealth secretariat, includes Dr Doyinsola Abiola, Daily Times Newspaper Group director, Souleymane Diallo, president of West African Editors' Forum, Koinange, Arlindo Lopes, secretary-general designate of the Southern African Broadcasting Association, Jacqui O'Sullivan, head of Corporate Communications, South African Airways, and Anna Umbima, a journalist and broadcaster.

Filipe Correia de S', senior producer at BBC World Service, was brought in to help judge the Portuguese-speaking category.

The competition is held in partnership with MultiChoice, South African Airways and in collaboration with The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation for HIV/Aids reporting.

Other sponsors include African Development Bank, Celtel (mobile operators), IPP Media, Johnnic Communications, Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Safebond Africa Limited (SAL), The Polana Serena Hotel Mo?ambique, Global Media Alliance and Camerapix. A new sponsor this year is Coca Cola Africa.

The CNN African Journalist of the Year Award was founded in 1995 by Edward Boateng (formerly African Regional Director for Turner Broadcasting System Inc., CNN's parent company) and the late Mohamed Amin, to recognise and encourage excellence in journalism throughout Africa.

The finalists, from nine nations, are:

Josephine Akarue, NewsAfrica, Cote d'Ivoire
Marion Alina, WBS Television, Uganda
Lilian Aluanga, The Sunday Standard, Kenya
Musinguzi Bamuturaki, New African, Uganda
Angus Begg, Carte Blanche, M-Net, South Africa
Khopotso Bodibe and Anso Thom, Health-e News Service, South Africa
Refinaldo Chilengue, Revista Mais, Mozambique
Victoria Cullinan, Carte Blanche, M-Net, South Africa
Tanya Farber, The Sunday Independent, South Africa
Salwa Jaafari, 2M, Morocco
Desmond Kwande, Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Isaac Masingati, The Sunday Times, Malawi
Sandy McCowen, SABC, South Africa
Dumisani Muleya, Zimbabwe Independent, Zimbabwe
Sammy Muraya, Metro FM, Kenya
Shola Oshunkeye, TELL Magazine, Nigeria
Adeshina Oyetayo, TELL Magazine, Nigeria
Jacques Pauw, Special Assignment, SABC, South Africa
Ramata Sor?, L'Ev'nment, Burkina Faso
Darren Taylor, The East African, Kenya
Joe Umbuor, Daily Nation, Kenya.
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com