Category: News
Date: 03.12.2004
Printable version
Mark Doyle has won first prize in the United Nations Correspondents
Association (UNCA)/UN Foundation Awards (Reporting on Humanitarian and
Developmental Affairs category) for his coverage of post-war Liberia
under a UN peacekeeping mission, produced by Dan McMillan.
Mark and Dan made a series of radio packages in Liberia which were
commissioned by Radio 4's PM programme and 成人论坛 World
Service.
The award will be given at the UNCA's ninth Annual Media Awards which
will give away nearly $50,000 in prizes for excellence in journalism.
The black tie awards dinner will be held at their New York headquarters
on 3 December 2004.
Mark and Dan spent much of their time deep in the Eastern jungle of
Liberia, monitoring the deployment of UN soldiers from Ethiopia and
speaking to child soldiers.
One of their packages was on a lighter note, however, covering a return
visit by former Fifa Player of the Year and former AC Milan striker,
Liberian George Weah.
Mark Doyle says: "At least half of this award should go to 成人论坛 producer
Dan McMillan.
"He and I worked together shaping the packages and battling the
technical difficulties of filing them from some rather tricky locations.
"Dan and I also want to pay tribute to the extraordinarily resilient
people of Liberia.
"Despite the worst efforts of their wartime leaders, the people
we met on our trip - church leaders, mothers, farmers - have mostly
emerged from the war as dynamic, friendly and optimistic.
"We can only hope that it is people like these, not more warlords,
who rule the Liberia of the future."
Richard Sambrook, Director, 成人论坛 World Service and Global News, said:
"This is wonderful recognition for some outstanding journalism from
Mark and his producer during the year.
"Their series of reports underlined the 成人论坛's commitment to reporting
Africa and the developing world."
UNCA will also present its annual Citizen of the World Awards, which
honour previously unrecognised efforts on behalf of humanity.
This year the award will be shared by Australian actress Nicole Kidman
for her 10 years service as a Goodwill Ambassador for Australian Unicef;
Dr Hans Blix, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
and former head of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq;
and Lakhdar Brahimi, the top international diplomat who crafted the
constitutional process that led to peaceful democratic elections in
Afghanistan this year and who engineered the current interim government
in Iraq.
Notes to Editors
Mark Doyle joined the 成人论坛 in 1986 and went on to become the East Africa
Correspondent from 1993 to 1994 and West Africa Correspondent from 1997
to 2002.
He covered the Rwandan genocide extensively for TV and radio in 1994
and was often the only foreign correspondent in the capital Kigali.
He also covered the West African wars in Sierra Leone, Liberia and
Guinea throughout the late 1990s.
Mark is currently a 成人论坛 World Affairs Correspondent.
