Lindsey Hilsum named One World’s Journalist of the Year

The One World Media Awards recognise outstanding reporting of the developing world.

Lindsey Hilsum beat off competition from Jill McGivering from the BBC World Service and Kathrin Hille from the Financial Times. The ceremony on 10 May was hosted by Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.

Her work reinforces the notion of journalism as a force for progressive change. One World judges

Lindsey’s entry comprised four powerful entries from 2010. The first was from Israel – as the world began to re-examine Israel’s blockade on the Gaza border, Lindsey scrutinised Israel’s insistence that there was no humanitarian crisis.

The producers was Girish Juneja and the camerawoman and editor Philippa Collins.

The film from Bamiyan told the tale of a region in Afghanistan that is at once the most-developed and the least-developed province in the country. This was a tale of progress, but also of extraordinary challenges for the region. Again, the multi-skiller was Philippa Collins. The producer was Sarah Corp.

Also nominated for an Amnesty Media award, Lindsey’s film from Congo saw her travel with the UN’s representative on sexual crime to hear tales from some of the 300 women there who were raped. The cameraman was Bruce Shayler, and it was edited by Louise Freeman, post-production producer Rob Thomson.

And Lindsey’s trip to Baghdad and Kurdistan looked at the plight of persecuted Christians in Iraq at Christmas. The producer was Fiona Lloyd-Davies, Cameraman,Tom Sheahan, and editor Mike Woodgate.

Channel 4 News coverage of the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war was also shortlisted. See the special report: Sri Lanka: civil war

The unanimous choice of the judges, they described Lindsey Hilsum’s reports from Gaza, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Congo as “story-telling at its best”.

They said: “This was a masterclass in challenging and provocative journalism. Her stories gave voice to the vulnerable and exposed the harm that comes from political spin and official corruption. Her work reinforces the notion of journalism as a force for progressive change.”