Release: Al Jazeera wins awards

30 November 2007: Al Jazeera English was awarded the “Best single news report” for Kylie Grey’s report on Agent Orange yesterday (29 November) at the leading industry event in Asia, the 12th Asian Television Awards 2007 in Singapore.

“I am delighted that Al Jazeera English, in just 1 year of being on air, is accruing worldwide recognition. It is testament to Al Jazeera’s high quality journalism and we look forward to providing our viewers with more thought provoking reports,” said Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, Nigel Parsons

Filmed by Al Jazeera’s cameraman Ben Emery, Grey’s report on Agent Orange – one of the chemicals used by the US military during the Vietnam War which has been linked to severe health problems for those that were exposed –  includes a look at how a 3rd generation of Vietnamese children are still suffering the effects of Agent Orange 30 years after the end of the war. The report contains powerful images of the birth defects suffered by those children and describes the victims’ attempts to sue the US government and the companies that manufactured the Agent. 

This follows Al Jazeera English’s programme Everywoman receiving the “Editors’ Award” at the Association of International Broadcasting Media Awards Ceremony 2007 in London on the 20th of November 2007.

Al Jazeera English was also nominated for awards at the Asian Television Awards in the categories of Best Documentary Programme : People & Power – Exxon in the Dock; Best News Programme: KL News Half Hour Bulletin; Best Single News Report: Tony Birtley- Bangladurjoy; Best Current Affairs Presenter: Teymoor Nabili 101 East-Environment Special.

-ENDS –

About the Al Jazeera Network

Al Jazeera started out ten years ago as the first channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive, independent television news and live debate for the Arab world. The Channel now has an estimated peak audience of over 50 million viewers and has been ranked by brandchannel.com as the most recognizable and influential news brand globally.  As a natural extension of its spirit and mission, Al Jazeera has over the years created a number of other channels and services – in March 2006 Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network, transforming its operation into an international media corporation.

The Al Jazeera Network now consists of: the flagship Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.

About Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is the world’s first English language news and current affairs channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. Broadcasting from within the Middle East, looking outwards, Al Jazeera English sets the news agenda and acts as a bridge between cultures. With unique access as the channel of reference for Middle East events, and broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, Al Jazeera English balances the information flow from South to North, providing accurate, impartial and objective news for a global audience from a grass roots level, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.

Al Jazeera English is building on the ground-breaking heritage of its sister Arab-language channel – Al Jazeera, which was responsible for changing the face of news within the Middle East, now extending that fresh perspective from regional to global.

Visit  www.aljazeera.net/english for more details.