This award is given to the journalists with extraordinary work which has brought changes into people lives,
by International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) every year.
The ICFJ has declared that: “Mr. Samay Mahdi, news manager of One TV Channel, has changed media perspective in Afghanistan. Two TV programs of Kabul Debate and Neqab (veil), which are produced by Mr. Mahdi, had unprecedented impacts on transparency and women rights discourse in the country.”
Award Ceremony
Mr. Mahdi has received the international award “Knight” Tuesday night 13.11.2012 during a ceremony in Washington DC this year. Alongside Mr. Mahdi, Mr. Qasem Muhammad Somalian journalists have received the award for his brave and extraordinary reporting on Somalian pirates.
About 500 media activist have participated in the ceremony and the Secretary of state Mrs. Hillary Clinton has also appreciated the winners through a video massage. Mrs. Clinton said: “Journalists ask difficult questions, travel to the dissent places of the world and put their lives in danger but they reveal the truth which will cause catastrophe if they are kept covered.” Mr. Mahdi has also appreciated the efforts of the ICFJ and talked about the concerns of freedom of expression after 2014.
Mr. Mahdi said: “we journalists are concerned that whether the current level of freedom of expression will be maintained after withdrawal international forces in 2014 or not. I am concerned about future.”
Before this Mr. Massud Hussaini, the Afghan photographer was the first Afghan that received the Pulitzer Prize this spring.
