Asia Society Announces Three Finalists for 2018 Osborn Elliott Journalism Prize
NEW YORK, April 25, 2018 — Asia Society announced today three finalists for the 2018 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia.
The selection was made by an independent jury who recognized the following outlets:
- Associated Press—Todd Pitman, Kristin Gelineau, Robin McDowell, Esther Htusan, Muneeza Naqvi and photos/video by Wong Maye-E, Rishabh Raj Jain, Bernat Armangue, Gemunu Amarasinghe and Dar Yasin—for a series on the "Rohingya Exodus" following a campaign of deadly violence in Myanmar, that the jury called “thorough and heartbreaking, impactful and moving.”
- Reuters—specifically Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo—for coverage of the anti-Rohingya violence in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh which was "courageous and risk-taking in its real-time chronicling of mass atrocities."
- Rappler—Patricia Evangelista with photography by Carlo Gabuco—coverage of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' state-sanctioned drug war, demonstrating "vivid reporting by a locally-based Southeast Asian news outlet."
The jury noted each of the finalist entries were "outstanding pieces of accountability journalism, shedding light on egregious behavior by people in power against people who were largely powerless."
The winner from among these finalists will be announced the week of April 30, and will be honored at a luncheon event at Asia Society in New York on Wednesday, May 23.
The "Oz Prize" is a $10,000 cash award is presented annually to the best example of journalism about Asia during the previous calendar year. Now in its 15th year, Asia Society’s "Oz Prize" is the premier honor bestowed for excellence in journalism on Asia.
The Oz Prize jury is chaired by Marcus Brauchli, managing partner of North Base Media and former editor of the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal and includes Dorinda Elliott, SVP/Director, Center for Business, China Institute; Mei Fong, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author; Alec McCabe, Bloomberg Emerging Markets; and Somini Sengupta, international climate change reporter, The New York Times.
The Oz Prize honors the late Osborn Elliott, legendary journalist, author and former editor-in-chief of Newsweek. Elliott was a leading figure in the field of journalism who became one of the earliest practitioners of "civic journalism"—the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy.
Find out more about the Oz Prize, including previous winners at AsiaSociety.org/OzPrize.