AGAHI AWARDS - BEYOND 2015

Values and Ethics Celebrated at AGAHI AWARDS – Beyond 2015

 

Islamabad, PK – 25 April 2015 - The AGAHI AWARDS, Pakistan’s most sought after journalism awards held

today at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad. Leading opinion makers, senior journalists,

policy makers, diplomats, academicians, leading professionals from the media industry and representatives

from think tanks attended the award ceremony.

The Agahi Awards recognize and celebrate the work of dedicated journalists, promoting ethical journalism and

quality reporting for shaping the future of journalism.

An annual series of journalism awards in Pakistan, the platform was

co-founded by Mishal Pakistan and AGAHI. The awards are effort to

create appreciation mechanism in Pakistan for ethical and quality

content. The evaluation methodology and criteria of the awards have

been designed by AGAHI on the pillars of Media Development

Indicators of UNESCO, in collaboration with the Center for

International Media Ethics (CIME) and input from UNESCO

headquarters in Paris.

The ceremony was presented by Syed Shamon Hashmi and Sanaa

Ahmed; this year AGAHI Awards received an overwhelming response

by the journalist community, where more than 3000 nominations were

received from all over the country for more than 50 different

categories in print, television, radio and online content. The Peoples’

Choice Awards categories included “Current Affairs Anchor of the

Year” and “News Channel of the Year” in Pakistan. The team reached

out to more than 5 million people through social media and 1.5 million

people through SMS campaign and direct feedback.

Peoples’ Choice Award in the “Most Favourite News Channel” category went to GEO News for the third

consecutive year. Mubasher Lucman and Meher Abbasi won the most favourite “Current Affairs Anchor of the

Year” Awards. Agahi Awards – Beyond 2015 ‘Investigative Journalist of the Year’ went to Amir Zia for his cover

story in Newsline Magazine “Is the Party Over?”. Nadeem Malik from SAMAA TV was awarded the “Most

Credible Anchor” based on the Media Credibility Index developed in collaboration with more than fifteen

journalism schools in Pakistan.

Winners of the AGAHI Awards – Beyond 2015

The AGAHI Awards – Beyond 2015 winners included, Mubarak Zeb Khan (Foreign Policy), Waleed Tariq

(Business and Economy), Allah Bux Arisar (Water and Food Security), Yusuf Sohail (Innovation), Imran Malik

(Corporate Social Responsibility), Meera Karim (Economic Opportunity), Saleem ur Rehman Afridi (Community

Driven Local Development), Almas Naqvi (Democratic Values), Irfan Haider (Anti-Corruption), Zahir Shah

Sherazi, Alia Chughtai, and Asad Hashmi (Extremism and Terrorism), Amber R. Shamsi (Law and Order),

Aneela Ashraf (Judiciary), Umar Bin Ajmal (Infotainment), Sara Farid (Photojournalism), Naqeebullah Taran

(Sports), Umer Bin Ajmal (Infotainment), Sara Farid (Photojournalism), Mureeb Mohmand (Human Rights),

Saba Eitizaz (Disaster and Catastrophe), Zahid Gishkori (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights), Hanif Samoon (Child Rights), Syed Babar Ali (Dignity), Riaz Sohail (Interfaith), Lala Hassan (Journalist Safety),

Hassan Belal Zaidi (Media Ethics), Muhammad Atif Sheikh (Youth Empowerment, Vocational and Technical

Training), Khalid Khattak (Education), Mansoor Malik (Curriculum Reform), Sultan Dogar (Education

Infrastructure and School Condition), Sehrish Wasif (Out-of-School Children), Shabbir Wahgra (Children with

No Access to Schools), Fayaz Ahmed (Girls’ Education), Abdul Shakoor (Public Spending on Education), Dr.

Irfan Ahmed Baig (Energy), Bina Shah (Women Empowerment), Zia Ur Rehman (Governance), Bushra Qamar

(Culture), and Salman Haqqi (Open Government).

More than 3000

Journalists nominated

their work in more than

30 different categories;

AGAHI Awards – Beyond

2015, encourages

quality content in print,

television, radio and

online journalism.

 

The Awards have created appreciation for journalism in fifty different categories including business and

economy, democratic values, conflict, anti-corruption, crime, education, infotainment, the nexus between water,

energy and food security, gender and governance, health, extremism and terrorism, interfaith and dignity

among other categories; thus creating media diversity across print, television, radio and the online media.

The AGAHI Awards have been the foremost initiative for media and journalism development in the country. The

awards have identified some of the most talented and diligent journalists in the industry. The Agahi Awards

winners have now acquired decision-making and leadership position across the media industry for “Shaping the

Future of Journalism” in Pakistan.

The AGAHI Awards aims to ensure diverse content and social issues to be highlighted in media, Mishal

Pakistan in collaboration with Ilm Ideas (a four year UKaid funded program) created the Education category

further dividing them into eight sub-categories. This has not only increased the quantum of education content in

media, but has also encouraged journalists to write more on the socio-economic and political challenges on

education reporting in Pakistan.

The support for the AGAHI Award – Beyond 2015, on journalism and other effort, reporting on corporate social

responsibility was made possible with the support from Philip Morris International Pakistan (PMIP). The AGAHI

Awards recognized the National Rural Support Program (NRSP), Bunyad, Idara-e-Taleem o Agahi and Duplex

for their work on creating social dividends for the communities and society in general.

The Awards have been organized in collaboration with leading press clubs, local and international media

development institutions, regulatory authorities, civil society organizations, private and public sector bodies and

other stakeholders.

Inaugurated on March 28th, 2012, the AGAHI Awards are an annual series of awards for journalism in Pakistan.

These are Pakistan’s first ever journalism awards recognizing the best journalists across print, television, radio

and the internet on more than 40 different journalism thematic beats. AGAHI and Mishal Pakistan in

collaboration with leading press clubs across the country, local and international media development bodies,

regulatory authorities and the private sector organized these awards.

The AGAHI Awards are the most sought after awards for journalism in Pakistan, and have been the foremost

media development initiative for media and journalism in the country. The Agahi Awards winners have now

acquired decision-making and leadership positions across the media industry for “Shaping the Future of

Journalism” in Pakistan.

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