17. 10. 2007

MILENA DIMITROVA WINS THE DR. ERHARD BUSEK - SEEMO 2007

BULGARIAN JOUNALIST WINS THE DR. ERHARD BUSEK - SEEMO 2007 AWARD FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE

Vienna, 17 October 2007 - The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is pleased to announce the winner of the Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO 2007 Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe.

After careful deliberation, the jury has chosen Milena Dimitrova, commentator for the Bulgarian daily newspaper Trud from Sofia, as this year’s winner. Dimitrova, who holds a PhD in Journalism, is also the author of several books, such as: Pictures from Japan (1992), Parliament and Journalism (2000), and Frandzhipani i Farangi: Two Bulgarians with the “Giraffe” Women of Burma (2005), written together with Magdalena Gigova. Dimitriva also teaches “Press Journalism and Investigative Reporting” at Sofia University “Sv. Kliment Ohridski”. She is the president of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists’ Investigative Journalism Section.

Dimitrova, who has worked as a journalist since 1983, was chosen for the 2007 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe from among 39 final nominations from all countries in the region. She receives this award for her journalistic work, through which Dimitrova promoted a climate of better understanding among people from different countries and cultures.

Dimitrova, who has been active in fighting corruption in Bulgaria, was an investigative reporter and presenter of the TV programme “Na Chisto” (On Square), dedicated to exposing corruption. Furthermore, she wrote for the Bulgarian weekly, 168 Hours and the daily Debati.

Dimitrova is a winner of the 2005 USAID/Coalition 2000 Award for Investigative Journalism, the 2004 and 2005 Annual Award of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, the 2004 Annual Prize for Investigation of Pari Daily’s Publisher, and the 2000 Award for Objective Journalism on Domestic Issues.

Sponsored by Dr. Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Coordinator of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), President of the European Forum Alpbach, Chairman of the "Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe" and former Vice-Chancellor of Austria, the € 2,000 prize is awarded every year to a journalist, editor, media executive or a journalist trainer in South East Europe, who, through the media, has promoted better understanding among peoples in the region and worked towards solving minority-related problems, and fighting against ethnic discrimination, racism, and xenophobia, among others.

In 2002, the Dr. Erhard Busek - SEEMO jury chose to honor the Croatian journalist Denis Latin with the award. In 2003, it was presented to Kemal Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief of the Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje. Brankica Petkovic, Head of the Center for Media Policy at the Peace Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was the recipient of the 2005 award. Danko Plevnik, international relations columnist for the Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija from Split was the winner of last year’s award.

This year’s award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, 19 October 2007, in Vienna, Austria, by Dr. Erhard Busek and Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General. For further information, please contact Zwetelina Damjanova, SEEMO Project Coordinator at: info@seemo.org or by phone: +43 1 513 39 40.

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SEEMO is a regional network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe.
 

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