# Amnesty International UK Media Awards 1998

The 7th annual Amnesty International UK Media Awards took place on 25 June at the Park Lane Hotel, London. The awards ceremony was hosted by Melvyn Bragg.
David Bull said at the awards;
   Despite 1998 being the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights there has been no shortage of important human rights abuse stories in the last year. High-profile issues such as the massacres in Algeria and the situation in Indonesia have received significant coverage but there have also been less well-publicised abuses that still cry out for international scrutiny.
In total there were 7 awards, including the introduction of the Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat. The other award categories were National Print, Periodicals, Photojournalism, Radio, Television Documentary and Television News. For eligibility, the entries had to be published or transmitted between 16 April 1997 and 30 April 1998.
The overall winner was Robert Fisk for a series of articles on Algeria published in The Independent.
The Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat was made to Nosa Igiebor and the staff of Tell magazine, Nigeria.
The judges for all categories were Nicky Campbell, Mark Lattimer, Penny Smith, Polly Toynbee and Kirsty Young.

## Shortlist and Awards 1998

1998 :
| Category | Title | Organisation | Journalists | Refs |
| National Print |
| National Print | 'A Holy Betrayal' | The Guardian | Maggie O'Kane | |
| National Print | A series of articles on Algeria Overall Winner | The Independent | Robert Fisk | [6][7] [8][9] [10][11] [12][13] [14] |
| National Print | 'Face To Face with Bosnia's Doctor Death' & 'Net Finally Closes Around War Criminals' | The Observer | Ed Vulliamy | |
| National Print | 'Surviving Algeria' | The Observer | John Sweeney | |
| Periodicals |
| Periodicals | 'Afghanistan Diary: My Escape from the Taliban' | Marie Claire | Breshna Baktash | |
| Periodicals | 'A Ghost of a Chance: A Survey of the Balkans' | The Economist | Brooke Unger | |
| Periodicals | "Tibet: Where Having Children is a Crime" | Marie Claire | Vittoria DAlessio | |
| Photojournalism |
| Photojournalism | 'Bosnian Refugee Returning Home' | | Howard Davies | [21] [22] |
| Photojournalism | "Lord of the Flies - The Mental Landscape of War" | | Stuart Freedman | |
| Photojournalism | 'The Unavenged' | | Jenny Matthews | |
| Radio |
| Radio | Special Assignment: Algeria | BBC Radio 5 | John Sweeney, produced by Vera Frankl and Anna Parkinson, edited by Gwyneth Williams | |
| Radio | 'Face The Facts', | BBC Radio 4 | John Waite, produced by Susan Mitchell, edited by Graham Ellis | |
| Radio | "Escape from Chechnya" | Series, "Out of the Fire" BBC Radio South | Marc Jobst John Simpson | |
| Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat |
| Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat | Presented to Nosa Igiebor and the staff of Tell Magazine. Launched in 1991, Tell reports on economic and political events and the struggle for democracy and human rights in Nigeria. Tell has continued to publish throughout the period of Nigerian dictatorship despite intimidation, harassment and the detention without charge or trial of Mr Igiebor and other senior members of the Tell staff. | Presented to Nosa Igiebor and the staff of Tell Magazine. Launched in 1991, Tell reports on economic and political events and the struggle for democracy and human rights in Nigeria. Tell has continued to publish throughout the period of Nigerian dictatorship despite intimidation, harassment and the detention without charge or trial of Mr Igiebor and other senior members of the Tell staff. | Presented to Nosa Igiebor and the staff of Tell Magazine. Launched in 1991, Tell reports on economic and political events and the struggle for democracy and human rights in Nigeria. Tell has continued to publish throughout the period of Nigerian dictatorship despite intimidation, harassment and the detention without charge or trial of Mr Igiebor and other senior members of the Tell staff. | |
| Television Documentary |
| Television Documentary | 'Getting Away with Murder' | Correspondent Special BBC TV | Michael Ignatieff, Fiona Murch, Giselle Portenier | [34][35] [36] |
| Television Documentary | 'Making a Killing' & 'Profit Before Principle' | Granada Television: World In Action | Martyn Gregory Films | |
| Television Documentary | "The Grave" | Channel 4 Television: True Stories | Produced by Soul Purpose Productions | |
| Television News |
| Television News | report on Algeria | BBC TV News | Fergal Keane | |
| Television News | reports on Muslim refugees in Bosnia | BBC TV News | David Loyn | |
| Television News | Report on the Xinjiang province in China | Direct TV for ITN Channel Four News | Gaby Rado | |