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 ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

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...

03/09/2026

Grass Valley Names Ronny Van Geel Vice President Of Cameras

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

VisualOn and EZDRM Enable Visualization of C2PA Provenanc...

The EZDRM approach to Revenue Security on streaming video can be visualized as a multi-dimensional set of solutions. A growing dimension of that approach is the...

03/09/2026

Kiloview Brings Hybrid AV-over-IP to Life at IBC 2026 wit...

From field capture to management, control and production, Kiloview will demonstrate one connected Hybrid AV-over-IP workflow including a complete 4RU producti...

03/09/2026

Mediagenix Curation Unlocks Greater Catalog Value Through...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced Mediagenix Curation, a new...

03/09/2026

LucidLink brings distributed media into active workflows...

LucidLink, the Emmy-winning cloud-native file streaming platform for instant, secure access to large files, today announced the next step in its vision to make ...

03/09/2026

Fraudulent communications purportedly from Screen Australia

Fraudulent communications purportedly from Screen Australia 3 September 2026 Screen Australia is aware of scam attempts involving fake emails and promotional m...

03/09/2026

AJA Introduces FS8, Next-Gen 12G-SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 Media Processor

AJA Introduces FS8, Next-Gen 12G-SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 Media Processor Brie Clayton September 2, 2026 0 Comments AJA Video Systems unveiled FS8, a video a...

03/09/2026

Shooting Deadheading with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF

Shooting Deadheading with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF Brie Clayton September 2, 2026 0 Comments Bringing a small story to the big screen with dark com...

03/09/2026

OOONA Launches OOONA Go: Professional Localization Management for Small Companies

OOONA Launches OOONA Go: Professional Localization Management for Small Companie...

03/09/2026

East of Texas Opens at American Tobacco Campus, Bringing North Carolina's First Tex-Mex BBQ Concept to Durham

DURHAM, N.C. - East of Texas Durham has officially opened its doors at American ...

02/09/2026

SVG Venues & Teams Summit 2026: All Sessions Now Available To Watch on SVG PLAY

Professional and collegiate clubs, leading vendors discuss current trends in stadium production On. Aug. 12, the 2026 SVG Venues & Teams Summit explored the ev...

02/09/2026

SoFi Stadium Completes Broadcast Infrastructure Upgrade

SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, and Hollywood Park have completed an infrastructure upgrade expanding game presentation and broadcast production capabilities acr...

02/09/2026

IBC 2026: Comcast Technology Solutions Unveils AI-Powered Workflow Applications

Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a suite of AI-powered workflow applications for broadcasters, content owners, and operators, built on its Video...

02/09/2026

NABA and APWPT Announce Partnership on Wireless Spectrum Advocacy

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) and the Association of Professional Wireless Production Technologies (APWPT) have announced a partnership to ...

02/09/2026

Prime Video Lands Exclusive In-Market Streaming Rights for Six NHL Teams Beginning This Season

Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minneso...

02/09/2026

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Goes Mini: Nine-Year-Old Venue Continues to Innovate With Control Room Mini Halo Board

New LED provides enhanced quality control, quicker show prep, detailed productio...

02/09/2026

Keeley Electronics launch the Tube Drive

Combines the Phat Drive with high-voltage valve circuit The latest pedal from Keeley Electronics combines their popular Phat Mode drive pedal with an all-ne...

02/09/2026

Lewitt introduce Space Replicator Free

Free version of virtual mixing room plug-in introduced Lewitt's Space Replicator plug-in provides users with a virtual monitoring environment that aims ...

02/09/2026

Stereophonic Bundle from AIR Music Tech

Two new mixing & mastering plug-ins revealed AIR Music Tech have just introduced the Stereophonic Bundle, a pair of processing plug-ins designed to provide ...

02/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving feature SSSG for 5G NR

Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving f...

02/09/2026

AgileTV and Fiend MTS Complete CDN Watermarking Integration to Fast-Track Anti-Piracy Protection for Operators

Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...

02/09/2026

Agentic AI in the content supply chain

Why agentic media supply chains need experience design built around visibility, reversibility and human authority When AI can generate a functional interface ...

02/09/2026

Gracenote study: 85% of sports fans want TV home screens to show when and where to watch favorite teams

Six-country survey finds 26% of sports fans frequently unable to determine where...

02/09/2026

Manfrotto Showcases New Video Support Solutions at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Mediagenix Rebrands Spideo as Mediagenix Curation

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Creative Technology Group Founder Graham Andrews Sets Year-End Exit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

San Antonio Spurs, DAZN Ink Exclusive Streaming Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

DPA Launches 6388 CORE Headset Microphone With Shifted Ac...

KOKKEDAL, DENMARK, SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 DPA Microphones announces its new 6388 CORE Headset Microphone, a high-performance directional headset designed for dema...

02/09/2026

Pliant Technologies Spotlights CrewCom CXD 32CF Dante AES...

Pliant Technologies will highlight its CrewCom CXD 32CF 32x32 Dante /AES67 Digital Audio Network Interface, a powerful connectivity solution designed to expand ...

02/09/2026

iWedia Enhances Teatro Pulse with Edge AI Self-Healing an...

iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced two enhancements to Teatro Pulse, its end-to-end TV service operation...

02/09/2026

Signiant Accelerates More Than File Transfers at IBC2026

Signiant, trusted by the media industry for accelerated content movement for more than 20 years, will showcase the latest evolution of the Signiant Platform at ...

02/09/2026

Calrec Argo M Powers Cloudbass Next Generation OB Fleet

With a contractual agreement to supply a leading UK sports broadcaster with outside broadcast services for 104 football matches per season over the next four ye...

02/09/2026

IBC2026 puts sport at the winning end of media innovation

IBC2026 will put sport firmly at the centre of the global media and entertainment technology conversation with the strongest sports showing in the event's h...

02/09/2026

PTZOptics Demonstrates the Power of Intelligent Multicame...

PTZOptics will bring a hands-on showcase of intelligent video production to IBC2026 (11-14 September, RAI Amsterdam), with demonstrations spanning new camera te...

02/09/2026

OOONA Launches OOONA Go

OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, today announced the launch of OOONA Go, a ready-to...

02/09/2026

EON Media launches AI media activation and monetization s...

EON Media will make its European debut at IBC2026 (September 11-14, RAI Amsterdam) in the show's Future Tech Zone (Hall 14.FT5). The company is launching it...

02/09/2026

Frequency Defines the Intelligent Channel at IBC2026

Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, will demonstrate at IBC2026 how integrating intelligence throughout chann...

02/09/2026

FOR-A Introduces Go Vertical AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub Und...

On-device AI platform gives broadcasters and content creators purpose-built tools for real-time vertical video production and AI-enhanced sports coverage...

02/09/2026

Shotoku To Introduce Aura E2 PTZ Elevator At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

AJA to Launch New openGear SDI/Fiber Conversion Cards at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

GoPro to Merge with Starman Optical

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

AIMS, EBU Completes Latest IPMX Certification Testing

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

EVS To Showcase New Neuron 4X Processor At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Sony Launches 100+ FAST Channels on Playstation 5 in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Canon Unveils PTZ Camera Firmware Updates

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

EverPass Media Expands NFL Offering with Netflix Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Imagine Communications Unveils Latest Control Portfolio A...

Next-Generation Freeform Control Surfaces Lay the Foundation for AI-Enabled Media Operations At IBC2026 (Sept. 11 14, RAI Amsterdam, Stand #1.B73), Imagine Com...