A report by KirkukNow won the award for the best written report on the issue of the displaced for the year 2022, in a press competition organized by an Ezidi (Yazidi) Center.
The results of the competition for written and video reports were announced on Thursday, January 19, by the High Authority of the Lalish Center in Duhok Northern Governorate.
Saeed Jardo, head of the Higher Committee of the Lalish Center, told KirkukNow, “Within the framework of encouragement and interest in journalistic materials, we organized this competition to choose the best written and video press reports.
Lalish center formed a committee and devoted more than a month to receiving press productions, then chose three professional journalists to evaluate the written and video stories.
"During the announcement of the competition, we noted that we would receive press materials centering on the issues of the displaced, and that the report would recount and shed light on the daily suffering of the displaced."
Dozens of Iraqi press institutions and journalists sent their press materials during the specified period, and prizes were distributed for written and photographed reports.
The award for the best written report went to (Ammar Aziz) from (KirkukNow) Media Outlet. Journalists Dhiyab Ghanem and Jamila Hazem won the second prize equally, while Nawzad Haluri from Wisha website won the third prize.
Lalish Center for Media and Culture is the largest Yazidi cultural institution, founded in 1993 with 38 departments and offices inside and outside Iraq, headquarters located in Dohuk.
With regard to the best video report, Rudaw correspondent, Ayoub Nasri, won the first prize, and the second prize went to (Nayef Ramadan), the correspondent of the same channel, and the third prize went to Bassem Qassem, correspondent of Khani News website.
The KirkukNow report, which was published on May 3, 2022, was titled “Ezidis displaced for third time following army offensive against armed group.” The report sheds light on the security situation in Shingal (Sinjar), home to the Ezidi community, which led to the start of a reverse migration wave of the Ezidis from their hometowns back to the camps for the Internally Displaced Persons IDP.
The report stated that the tension and clashes between the Iraqi army and Asayish Izidkhan led to the displacement of more than 700 families during the last week of April and May, and their return to the camps in Dohuk Governorate.
"The importance of this competition is to encourage journalists to work more accurately and in detail on the issue of the displaced, so that the executive bodies represented by the government can address their problems," Jardo added.
"We also want to convey the voice of the displaced to the world to provide them with better services," he added.
"This is the first season of the competition," Said Jardo said. "We plan to maintain and expand this competition in the future."
Last December, an investigation by KirkukNow has won first prize in the annual competition for the best report on human rights.
The competition was dedicated to the best journalistic reports related to human rights in 2022, after evaluating dozens of articles submitted by journalists, on Saturday December 10, in a ceremony in Kalar district of Garmian administration of Sulaymaniyah Northern Province.
The Firs prize was awarded to Ammar Aziz for the story Samira and Zhina: Victims of Deception.
The investigation tells the story of an IDP girl who was deprived of education due to lack of identity, living with her mother suffering from mental and psychological disturbance due to marriage without official records and documents.
