Polish reporter won the Journalism Excellence Awards for the text about the Roma community
18.06.2024
On 18 June, during a week promoting the idea of hate-free speech, Polish journalist Ms Anna Alboth received the Journalism Excellence Awards in the global event category for her report 'They never caused any war'.
The award ceremony, which took place at the Palace of Europe, was organised as part of the joint EU-RE EQUIROM (Equality and Freedom from Discrimination for Roma) programme and brought together prominent participants and Council of Europe member state representatives to promote high-quality, bias-free journalism promoting a positive image of Roma.
On behalf of the Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Ms. Erika Leonaitė, Parliamentary Ombudsperson of Lithuania, opened the ceremony, followed by Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty.
The Journalism Excellence Awards honour ethical reporting that objectively addresses human rights and dignity, racism and antigypsyism issues, investigative journalism, raising awareness about the history and culture of Roma, and contributing to building positive narratives about Roma by journalists and other media representatives. Such reporting makes for positive changes in people’s perception of Roma communities.
Anna Alboth is a journalist and human rights defender who focuses on migration issues at various European borders. She works as a media officer at Minority Rights Group International, advocating for minority communities worldwide. Additionally, she has co-founded several initiatives, including Grupa Granica (ang. border group), a collective working on the Polish-Belarusian border, and the Civil March for Aleppo, which was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.