Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Putting all people first: Meet the 2019 shortlisted Young Journalists

21/09/2019

From sword-wielding gangs in Sri Lanka inspired by the movies and the residents of Assam declared stateless in India, to the mysterious death of a Kashmiri in custody, the Tramadol abuse crisis sweeping across Ghana and the parenting rights of the disabled in Armenia.

These are among the stories that have made the shortlist for the 2019 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, run in collaboration with the UK Foreign Press Association (FPA).

The shortlist, hailing from Armenia, Ghana, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka won over judges at the foundation with their stories about putting all people first.

Using the example of Fatima Begum, a Bengali Muslim woman left off Assams citizens' list and facing statelessness and detention, Sarita Santoshini warns that the Indian state is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis in one of her three submissions for the award. From Armenia, Kushane Chobanyan writes about a determined young teacher with Down syndrome who is revolutionising his community's education system.



No ink too faint For the last seven years, Thomson Foundation has given opportunities to journalists aged 30 and under from countries with a Gross National Income per capita of less than $20,000.

This year, almost 200 entries poured in from 55 countries, including Kenya and Kyrgyzstan and from Nepal and Nicaragua to Moldova and Mexico.

As a special tribute to the awards this year, previous winners were invited back to talk about the life-changing impact the prize had on their careers - an apt way of celebrating them and the award's rise internationally. For the former winners, the accolade meant a level of support that most aspiring journalists only dream of and all were compelled to offer advice to journalists applying for this year's award.

Rewrite the narrative and influence change, was the bold statement from Judy Kosgei, the first winner of the annual prize in 2013. No media platform is too small to stir change, no voice too low, no picture too hazy and no ink too faint. There is no greater opportunity than this.

It's a thought that sums up the essence of the Young Journalist Award, which encourages journalists to mainstream marginalised voices and share difficult truths.

"No media platform is too small to stir change, no voice too low, no picture too hazy, no ink too faint"

Judy Kosgei, 2013 Young Journalist winner

The shortlist 2019 Aamir Ali, India

In one of his three stories, Aamir visits the family of Rizwan Asad Pandit, a 29-year-old teacher who was detained over a security investigation in Indian-administered Kashmir and died in police custody. Pandits family condemned his death as a cold-blooded murder and the incident prompted widespread rioting and anger. Aamir later investigated a range of abuses in detention facilities run by the Indian army, local police and paramilitaries since India announced its decision to withdraw the region's autonomy. In a related story, Aamir looks at the traumatic emotional impact on young Kashmiris of pellet shotguns fired by security forces and how the region is in the grip of a mental health crisis.

Kushane Chobanyan, Armenia

People with disabilities can parent, was the message in one of Kushane's submissions for the Young Journalist Award. Filmed in different parts of Armenia, Kushane explores whether people with disabilities face significant barriers to becoming adoptive parents. In another story, Kushane focuses her attention on Tigran Gevorgyan, a determined young man with Down syndrome who has been overcoming prejudice surrounding his condition by taking charge of early-learning classes at an educational centre in Armenia. A genetic condition, Down syndrome typically affects a persons physical and intellectual growth. In Tigrans case, and as Kushane writes, it has done nothing to diminish his optimism and self-belief.

Meiryum Ali, Pakistan

Meiryum's visual analysis of the complex court document connecting former Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari with a high-profile money-laundering case in which millions were allegedly siphoned out of the country, went viral shortly after its release. As discontent simmers in Pakistan following repeated devaluations of the rupee and soaring inflation, Meiryum vowed to make sense of the dense financial report to help shape public discourse around the former president's trial. Her video was picked up by a major news channel and even shared on Twitter by the country's current ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Another of Meiryum's stories focused on the collection of bribery, not rent, from shopkeepers in Empress Market in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

Amos Abba, Nigeria

The idea that one can eradicate cancer through something as simple as taking a herbal supplement is an alluring one. Amos goes undercover in one of his reports to meet three herbal doctors in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, who all falsely claim to have a cure for cancer. Faced with the prospect of chemotherapy, many patients visit these doctors in the hope that a more natural option might spare them the potentially unpleasant treatment effects of chemo and radiotherapy. However, as Amos warns, these costly herbal treatment programmes neither change their prognosis, but in some cases, actually lead to further health complications.

Sarita Santoshini, India

The latest list of citizens in Assam state in north-eastern India effectively strips nearly two million people of citizenship, writes Sarita in her report. To be recognised as an Indian citizen here, an individual must prove their links to the region dating back half a century and those left off the list face being branded illegal immigrants and sent to detention camps. Muslims, women and the poorest communities could be the worst affected. Sarita explores the problem t
LINK: http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/putting-all-people-first-meet-...
See more stories from thompsonfoundation

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

24/06/2026

NoiseWorks Audio add Mouth De-Click to VoiceAssist

Plus: VoiceAssist Basic now available to UA LUNA users NoiseWorks Audio have just released an update that adds a new Mouth De-Click module to the Advanced t...

24/06/2026

Gator introduce the Frameworks Studio Mic Boom 2000

New heavy-duty mic stand joins range The latest arrival to Gator's Frameworks family introduces a new heavy-duty boom stand that's been designed for...

24/06/2026

Waves V17 now available

Latest major plug-in update goes live Waves have just announced that the latest major update for their hugely popular plug-in range is now officially availa...

24/06/2026

Why Four Bars of Signal Doesn't Always Mean Good Performance

When assessing cellular coverage, many people look at the signal bars displayed on a smartphone, router or modem. More bars are often assumed to mean better per...

24/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz THORIS sets new standard for counterUAS defense

Rohde & Schwarz THORIS sets new standard for counter UAS defense At Eurosatory 2026, Rohde & Schwarz is unveiling THORIS, a German engineered, sovereign count...

24/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz expands voice communications modernization program for Egyptian air traffic control

Rohde & Schwarz expands voice communications modernization program for Egyptian ...

24/06/2026

Clear-Com FreeSpeak Cell Successfully Tested by RTL Deutschland in 5G Network at...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

24/06/2026

Nielsen's Q1 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Streaming sets record high of 46.6% of ad supported TV viewing, driven by Super Bowl and Winter Olympics; overall share of ad supported TV remains steady NEW Y...

24/06/2026

FCC Flooded with Nearly 28K Comments Regarding Its Probe of 'The View'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

Hearst Television Brings Ad Addressability to Local Broadcast TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

FCC Raises $3.5 Billion in AWS-3 Wireless Auction

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

RE:Vision Effects Announces Twixtor Standalone v 8.1 and a Sale!

RE:Vision Effects Announces Twixtor Standalone v 8.1 and a Sale! Brie Clayton June 24, 2026 0 Comments Twixtor v8.1 Standalone adds support for variab...

24/06/2026

Dreamtek Uses Full Blackmagic Workflow for Vercel Next JS Event

Dreamtek Uses Full Blackmagic Workflow for Vercel Next JS Event Brie Clayton June 24, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic cameras, switchers, routers, recorder...

24/06/2026

Chyron LIVE Unveils New Features: Haivision StreamHub Integration, SCTE-35 Ad Insertion, and Refined Switching Tools

Chyron LIVE Unveils New Features: Haivision StreamHub Integration, SCTE-35 Ad In...

24/06/2026

Mapping an Education

Mapping an Education How composer Chloe Clarke Smith navigated her Boston Conservatory experience and brought new meaning to her work June 24, 2026 By Sara...

24/06/2026

The Next Act

The Next Act Dean Krisha Marcano's vision for a connected Theater Division, and the fund making it possible June 24, 2026 Photo by Eric Antoniou The Or...

24/06/2026

Announcing STAGES Magazine 2026

Announcing STAGES Magazine 2026 Marking a decade since Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music joined forces, this issue spotlights some of the groun...

24/06/2026

Rede Legislativa Chooses Appear to Support Brazil TV Ver...

In Brazil's TV 3.0 Trials, Appear's X5 is transporting live signals from Bras lia to S o Paulo over the public internet using secure, reliable next-gene...

24/06/2026

Mediaproxy partners with HVS for US broadcast market

Melbourne, Australia - 24 June 2026: Mediaproxy, the global standard for software-based IP compliance monitoring and multiviewing solutions, has named Heartland...

24/06/2026

Gray Media Launches Political 360 Digital Advertising Solution

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

Walmart to Pay $1.4 Billion to Acquire Ad Tech Firm Vibe.co

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

FCC Flooded with Nearly 28K Comments on 'The View'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

First Rush Brings SDI Multicam ProRes Recording to Apple Silicon Macs

First Rush Brings SDI Multicam ProRes Recording to Apple Silicon Macs Brie Clayton June 23, 2026 0 Comments First Rush is a native macOS application d...

24/06/2026

Vertical Drama Beneath Crimson Sails Created with Blackmagic Design

Vertical Drama Beneath Crimson Sails Created with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 23, 2026 0 Comments Thunder Child Productions relies on cameras&...

24/06/2026

Sky reveals wild new trailer and images for Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Wednesday 24 June 2026 Sky reveals wild new trailer and images for Shaun the Sh...

24/06/2026

Seven paradoxes shaping the next era of media production - Episode 1

Why Dynamic Media Facilities Matter In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operations. Along ...

24/06/2026

Comscore Announces Partnership with Amazon DSP to Expand Content Addressability to Drive Campaign Performance

Comscore Announces Partnership with Amazon DSP to Expand Content Addressability ...

24/06/2026

RT is supporting 21 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this July

From Cork to Limerick to Earagail: RT is supporting 21 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this July RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to spotlight...

23/06/2026

Case Study: YES Networks IP Transition Expands Production Possibilities and Redefines Workflows

When we began planning our transition from an SDI-based infrastructure to a new ...

23/06/2026

Imagine Communications Appoints Greg Garmon as SVP, Americas Video Sales

Imagine Communications has announced the appointment of Greg Garmon as Senior Vice President, Americas Video Sales. Garmon will oversee account growth and busin...

23/06/2026

Snap Promotes Emma Wakely to Head of Sports and Media Partnerships, Americas

Snap has promoted Emma Wakely to Head of Sports and Media Partnerships, Americas, succeeding Anmol Malhotra, who has been elevated to Global Head of Content and...

23/06/2026

YES Network and Gotham Sports App to Air MI New York Major League Cricket Matches

YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air MI New York's Major League Cr...

23/06/2026

HAND Issues Persistent Digital IDs to 2026 NBA Draft Class

The Universal Talent Identifier (HAND) has issued HAND IDs to 34 top projected prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class, including AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and...

23/06/2026

World Boxing Launches World Boxing TV Streaming Platform

World Boxing has announced the launch of World Boxing TV, a subscription-based streaming platform built on the Joymo platform, offering live events, on-demand c...

23/06/2026

FloRacing to Stream 32 Off-Road Motorcycle Racing Events Including AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

FloSports will stream 32 off-road motorcycle racing events on FloRacing, includi...

23/06/2026

SES Adds 14 Regional Channels and New Set-Top Boxes to ASTRA TV in Spain

SES has announced the expansion of its ASTRA TV platform in Spain with the addition of 14 regional channels in HD and UHD quality and the launch of new hybrid s...

23/06/2026

Appear Supports Rede Legislativas Contribution Workflow for Brazils TV 3.0 Trials

Appear ASA has announced its role in Rede Legislativa de R dio e TV's contri...

23/06/2026

PBS Selects LTN for Nationwide IP Video Network Across 330 Member Stations

LTN has announced that PBS has selected it as its IP video partner to modernize content distribution and contribution across more than 330 public television sta...

23/06/2026

Ease Live Powers Interactive Experience on Rally.TV for WRC

Ease Live has announced that its graphics overlay platform is powering an interactive fan experience on Rally.TV, the official streaming platform of the FIA Wor...

23/06/2026

Chyron LIVE Adds Haivision StreamHub Integration, SCTE-35 Ad Insertion, and Switcher Updates

Chyron has announced updates to Chyron LIVE, its cloud-native live production pl...

23/06/2026

ESPN Announces ESPN Fan House, Fan Engagement Hub Powered by Flowcode

ESPN has announced ESPN Fan House, a fan engagement hub powered by Flowcode, launching in August ahead of the 2026 college football season. Publicis Sports will...

23/06/2026

Sennheiser Relocates Americas Regional Hub to Nashville

The city's solid position in broadcast, entertainment, and sports attracted the major microphone manufacturer Sennheiser Group is moving its Americas Regio...

23/06/2026

Violet Audio's dMix 128 now shipping

128 channels of signal routing & DSP Announced just before the NAMM Show 2026, Violet Audio's latest digital audio matrix offers 128 channels of signal ...

23/06/2026

Minimal Audio launch Memory Rites

Latest Current expansion created by EPROM Minimal Audio have just launched the latest Current Expansion, Memory Rites. Designed in collaboration with renown...

23/06/2026

Undertone Audio's MPEQ-1 goes virtual

Popular hardware EQ gets official plug-in emulation Undertone Audio have just launched a new plug-in that brings one of their most popular hardware designs ...

23/06/2026

Colorfront Support for AWS CDI Unlocks New Potential for Cloud-Based Visual Effects and Content Creation

December 7, 2022 Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the multi-award-winning develope...