TheCable

Chinedu Asadu, a journalist with TheCable, has been shortlisted for the Kurt Schork Memorial Awards in International Journalism.

Asadu was a finalist in the local reporter category of the awards which the organisers said: “honour brave, yet often unrecognised journalists for their reporting on conflict, corruption and injustice.”

He was shortlisted following his story on the violent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Plateau state in which more than 100 persons were killed.

Now in the 18th year, the Kurt Schork Memorial Awards is in honour of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork who was killed while on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone in 2000.

Damilola Banjo of Sahara Reporters and Amos Abbah of Daily Trust were also shortlisted in the local reporter category, while Shola Lawal and Adaobi Nwaubani were shortlisted in the freelance category.

The organisers said: “The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund exists to keep the world aware of the debt we owe to brave journalists who bring us news from dangerous places.

“Our annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism uniquely honour the work of freelance journalists and of local reporters in developing countries or nations in transition who often otherwise receive little recognition.”

Cameroonian journalist Amindeh Blaise Atabong was named winner of the “Local Reporter Award” for his “bravery in documenting the sometimes-violent split between Cameroon’s English-and-French-speaking communities” while Amanda Sperber, an East Africa-based foreign correspondent, won the Freelance Award for her report on armed conflict and politics in Somalia.

The three winners will each receive a cash prize of US $5000 to be presented at the award ceremony scheduled for October 30 in London.