Amnesty Wins Prestigious FPA Media Award

Amnesty International Press Office Wins Prestigious FPA Media Award

Amnesty International's Media and Audio Visual Programme (MAV) has been selected as the Best Press Office of the Year by the Foreign Press Association (FPA).

FPA journalist members voted MAV as the Best Press Office for 2003 in a special ceremony hosted by the Foreign Press Association on Tuesday. Key speakers included Alastair Campbell, rock star Bono, Clive Anderson and HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. Other shortlisted Press Offices included those of the United Nations, the Royal United Services Institute, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Institute of Strategic Studies and British Telecom.

"Amnesty International began when our founder Peter Benenson wrote to the Observer newspaper, to publicise the plight of two Portugese students who were imprisoned simply for toasting freedom," MAV said. "From that point on, media coverage has been central to giving a voice to those who suffer human rights abuses all over the world."

Awards presented included the Television Story of the Year which went to John Simpson of the BBC for his report of friendly fire in Iraq. Hans Blix, former United Nations Weapons Inspector in Iraq won the prize of the Best Communicator of the Year.

The FPA is the oldest press organisation of its kind in the world. It is an independent body that provides UK-based foreign correspondents, as well as visiting reporters, with valuable information, insight, contact, facilities and services to enable them to perform their professional duties and network with fellow journalists.

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