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EP opens submissions for €20,000 Daphne Caruana Galizia journalism prize
The European Parliament has opened submissions for its first annual €20,000 journalism prize – spearheaded by Maltese MEP David Casa and Finn Heidi Hautala - in tribute to murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
Daphne Caruana Galizia
The European Parliament on Friday opened submissions for its new journalism prize in tribute to murdered Maltese investigative journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia. The initiative was spearheaded by Maltese MEP David Casa and Finn Heidi Hautala.
The first winner of which will be announced around 16 October 2021 – a symbolic reminder of the anniversary of the car bombing that took the Maltese journalist’s life.
The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism, launched on 16 October 2020, the third anniversary of her death, will reward outstanding journalism reflecting EU values.
Applications for 2021 will remain open until 31 August.
Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala comments, “The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize will recognise the essential role that journalists play in preserving our democracies and serve as a reminder to citizens of the importance of a free press. This prize is designed to help journalists in the vital and often dangerous work they do and show that the European Parliament supports investigative journalists.”
The €20,000 annual prize is open to journalists or teams of journalists of any nationality whose in-depth stories have been published or broadcast by a media outlet based in the European Union. Candidates and the eventual laureate will be chosen by an independent panel. The award ceremony will be held in October 2021 at the European Parliament.
An external organisation has been chosen following a call for tenders to see the project through. Candidates and the eventual laureate will be judged by an independent panel of journalists.
The prize will distinguish outstanding journalism work based on the principles and values of the European Union, and will be awarded for pieces on topics of interest linked to European values resulting from in-depth journalism undertaken by professional journalists or teams of journalists.
Published on 28 April, the ‘Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists’ report from the Council of Europe lists 201 serious violations of media freedom in 2020. This figure marks a 40% increase from 2019 and is the highest figure recorded since the platform was established in 2014. A record number of alerts concerned physical assault (52 cases) and harassment or intimidation (70 cases).
The European Parliament strongly advocates the importance of a free press. In a May 2018 resolution, MEPs called on EU countries to ensure adequate public funding and to promote a pluralist, independent and free media. Parliament has once again underlined the importance of media freedom in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
David Lindsay held editorial positions at the Malta Independent, as well as at the Malta B...
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