Reporting Asylum - the local press awards

The awards ceremony for 'Reporting Asylum - the local press awards' was held at City Hall on 5 December 2007. The Mayor and Shami Chakrabarti of the human rights organisation Liberty presented trophies and highly commended certificates to newspapers in the four awards categories. Details of award winners are below.

View selection of extracts from shortlisted articles and images, PDF

The Mayor commented:
'London’s media has a vital role in challenging discrimination and negative stereotyping which refugees and asylum seekers often face in the capital. These awards highlight some of the best examples of positive and balanced coverage about the lives of newcomers to London and provide a clear contrast to the scaremongering which often appears in the media.'

Read Mayor's press release

2007 awards

Best news coverage

Winner: East End Life
For highlighting the contribution of refugees against the odds

Highly commended: London Informer
For linking personal story with international and policy analysis

Best background or comment material

Winner: The London Paper
For highlighting the contribution of refugees against the odds

Highly commended: Camden New Journal
For portraying refugees as part of the mainstream

Best use of visual and creative material

Winner: East End Life
For very positive images of refugees and asylum seekers

Highly commended: The New Londoners
For originality in use of poetry

Best news/comment/visual coverage in a faith, black, Asian, minority ethnic or refugee newspaper

Winner: Eastern Eye
For front page article on migrants and asylum seekers

Highly commended: The New Londoners
For use of irony to highlight housing situation of refugees and asylum seekers

Extracts from winning and highly commended articles will be made available shortly.

Further information

The awards, now in their third year, recognise excellence in London’s local, regional, faith and black and minority ethnic newspapers for their fair and balanced coverage of refugee and asylum seeker issues.

The judging panel included senior members of: UNHCR, the Refugee Council, the Network of Exiled Journalists, the National Union of Journalists, RefugeeYouth, the Mayor’s Refugee Advisory Panel and the Mayor’s Office.