CNN S SUMNIMA UDAS CROWNED JOURNALIST OF the YEAR AT WOMEN S EMPOWERMENT JOURNALISM AWARDS-

CNN International's Delhi-based correspondent Sumnima Udas has been awarded Journalist of the Year' at the inaugural Women's Empowerment (WE) Journalism Awards for her sensitive and incisive reporting on gender issues including the December 2012 New Delhi gang-rape, the plight of acid attack victims in India and the courageous stance taken by young Indian women, fighting back to ensure the safety of women in their neighbourhoods. The Awards held in Singapore, honour outstanding achievements in reporting on women's issues. Udas work was recognised amongst entries by distinguished journalists across Asia Pacific including Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Udas reported extensively on the aftermath of the December 2012 Delhi gang rape, explaining how the crime shook the nation and prompted a landmark change in how society handles violence against women. Her almost year-long reporting culminated in the documentary film Nirbhaya: The Fearless One' which featured in-depth interviews with the victims parents, who movingly reveal how their daughter was the pillar of strength for the family. Her reporting on related gender issues also featured first-hand interviews with Indian women on the streets, shedding insights onto the vulnerability of sexually abused women, victims of acid attacks and the horrific practice of female feticide in parts of India. She has also chronicled the courageous story of a group of brave adolescent women who have banded together to form Red Brigades', acting as foot patrols to increase the safety of females in their neighbourhood.

This award is the latest recognition of CNN International's editorial strength. In 2014, CNN has been crowned News Channel of the Year for the second year running at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards where the network also won the coveted Best News Coverage - International category. The network is the reigning Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year' (Asian Television Awards 2013) and had a strong showing in the Emmys, FPA Awards, Peabody Awards and the Overseas Press Awards. CNN is also the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America.

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About WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT JOURNALISM AWARDS

The Women's Empowerment (WE) Journalism Awards was established to recognise and honour outstanding achievements in the reporting on women's issues across Asia Pacific. Sponsored by Diageo, the worlds leading premium drinks company, the Awards aim to inspire, nurture and advance quality reporting on related topics, so as to educate and empower the communities across the region with more knowledge to advance progress in women's empowerment. The Awards are set up as part of Diageo's Plan W: Empowering Women through Learning' programme. Launched in 2012, Plan W aims to reach women of all socio-economic profiles through training and skills development to empower two million women in 17 countries in Asia-Pacific over five years. Further affirming its commitment, Diageo became the first beverage alcohol company in March 2013 to sign up to the UN Womens Empowerment Principles (UNWEP) to promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.

About CNN International

CNN's portfolio of news and information services is available in five different languages across all major TV, internet and mobile platforms reaching more than 375 million households around the globe, including over 46 million across the Asia Pacific region. CNN International, awarded News Channel of the Year by the Royal Television Society in 2013 and 2014, is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America. The CNN digital network is consistently one of the top news and current affairs destination on the web. CNN has 44 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Get the latest social media updates from CNN at: facebook.com/cnninternational @cnnasiapr

Contact

Anuradha Agnihotri

Tel: +91 11 41699129

E-mail: anuradha.agnihotri@turner.com

Ingrid Hsu

Tel: +852 3128 3568

E-mail: Ingrid.Hsu@cnn.com

LINK:	http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6659...
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