Journalists from a number of regional newspapers in Scotland have been nominated for an awards scheme celebrating positive reporting on asylum seekers.

The Refugee Week Scotland 2010 Media Awards will be held on 18 June and organisers Oxfam Scotland has now announced the shortlisted reporters and photographers.

Three candidates have been shortlisted for each of the categories and a first-place winner and runner-up will be chosen at next week’s ceremony in Glasgow.

They are being held as part of Refugee Week, which starts on Monday, in a bid to highlight positive, accurate and influential reporting on asylum and refugee-related issues.

Aideen McLaughlin, of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Asylum is a human right and the media has a huge role to play in ensuring that right is respected and upheld by both the public and governments.

“Now more than ever we need clear and factual reporting on asylum and refugee issues and these awards seek to encourage that.”

The nominations are:

National Print

Stephen Naysmith, The Story of the Red Road Tragedy, Sunday Herald
Catherine Deveney, Gimme Shelter, Spectrum Magazine, Scotland on Sunday
Billy Briggs, In Search of Refuge, The Herald Magazine

Local Print

Lynsey Bews, Return to Rwanda, Fife Free Press
Caroline Wilson, No Place for Us, The Evening Times
David Clegg, Asylum Seeker’s Heroism Award, Dundee Courier

Photography

Maurice MacDonald (Universal News and Sport), Hoops Home Help, published in the Daily Record
Colin Mearns, Red Road Tragedy, Sunday Herald/Herald
Kirsty Anderson, In Search of Refuge, Herald Magazine

The New Voices Student Journalism Award

Sabrina Ramzan, A Journey to Remember
Martin Graham, Red Road Stories (published in the Sunday Herald)

Comments

Bob Marley (10/06/2010 10:25:28)
Right on, brother!

Onlooker (10/06/2010 12:09:31)
Oh, please…I don’t suppose anyone bothers to properly check if the refugees reported on are genuine or bogus. This is just more left-wing hand-wringing which would be laughable if it wasn’t so damaging to those local Scottish communities already groaning under the weight of economic migrants posing as genuine asylum seekers.

Bibi (10/06/2010 15:32:26)
I can’t believe you weren’t nominated for one of the awards, Onlooker. Still, good thing you don’t sound bitter, eh?

Clapham junction (10/06/2010 16:11:14)
Why can’t we have ‘positive reporting’ on a ‘Go Away – We’re Full’ awards scheme, paid for by the taxpayer natch ?