Post leads the way for human rights awards
The South China Morning Post gained eight awards in the 11th Annual Human Rights Press Awards yesterday, more than any other publication in Asia.
The Far East Economic Review was second in the English-language category with seven awards. Time Asia had five, The Wall Street Journal Asia had three and the International Herald Tribune had two. The Hong Kong Standard had one.
In the Chinese-language category, Ming Pao daily and weekly took five awards between them, Sing Tao and Apple Daily came second with two each. East Week, Oxfam Mokung, U Beat Magazine and Open Magazine had one.
The awards - organised by Amnesty International Hong Kong, and supported by the Foreign Correspondents' Club and the Hong Kong Journalists' Association - are for regional publishing and broadcasting excellence related to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Leading the Post's tally was China features writer Didi Kirsten Tatlow, who won a general news prize for a feature on the Huaxi riot and a features merit for a series on Aids in China.
Vivian Wu was awarded a general news merit for a story on the Bingdian Weekly newspaper. Foreign editor Peter Kammerer won a features merit for a story from the Wan Chai underworld.
In the photo category, Martin Chan won an award for a picture of the World Trade Organisation demonstration, Ricky Chung gained a merit for a photo of a right-of-abode protest and Steve Cray won a merit for a photo feature of a leprosy village in a remote part of the mainland. Artist Henry Wong was awarded a merit for his cartoon depicting religious freedom in chains.
FCC president Christopher Slaughter told winners and guests at an awards lunch at the correspondents' club yesterday that there had been a record number of entries this year - 339 - beating the previous high of 319 in 1997.
