March 16, 2022
KABUL: Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) honored four journalists with Afghanistan 2022 Journalist of the Year awards in a ceremony marking the national journalist day in Kabul.
A jury panel, through a competition process, selected the award winners, which include reporters from ToloNews TV channel, Pajhwok Afghan News, Hasht-e-Subh daily, and the AFP.
The awards were given in recognition of the incredible work and dedication of the journalists who have gone the extra mile to report the stories that matter the most.
A report about a poor farmer in eastern Kunar province, who lost six soldier sons in war by ToloNews reporter Sedaqat Ghorzang; an investigative report on the role of Ajmal Ahmadi, former Acting Governor of Afghanistan’s Central Bank in financial crisis by Hasht-e-Subh daily reporter Hasibullah Bahesh; an impactful report on the rehabilitation of a district hospital in Fariyab province by Pajhwok Afghan News reporter Qutbuddin Kohi; and a report on the severe consequences of drought in Badghis province by AFP reporter Mohammad Arif Karim, were chosen as winners of the competition.
Speaking on behalf of the jury panel, Faisal Karimi said that the panel reviewed 42 applications received from television, radio, print, and online journalists from across the country.
According to the jury’s decision, the four short-listed journalists were jointly recognized as the winners of the 2022 Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award and were honored with a crystal plaque and cash prize of AFN 12,500 each.
AFJC Executive Director Ahmad Quraishi said that the Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award was launched in 2014 to commend the professionalism of Afghan journalists and to encourage them to adhere to internationally applied journalism standards in their coverage of events inside Afghanistan.
Since the launch of the Award in 2014, 14 Afghan journalists including four women from various media outlets have received the prestigious awards.