New awards to honor journalists worldwide

A global awards program for journalism administered by the World Media Summit will be launched in November in Beijing, attracting worldwide attention and participation, according to the WMS secretariat.

The awards, dubbed the WMS Global Awards for Excellence, are the first comprehensive news awards covering multiple media formats, including press, photography, video and integrated media, around the world.

Since nominations began being accepted on July 1, about 400 entries have been received from media organizations and reporters in 90 countries and regions, according to the secretariat. The deadline is Sept 30.

Zhou Zongmin, head of the WMS secretariat, said on Wednesday that the awards have three categories - award for new media reporting, award for media innovation and award for public welfare.

The last award is open only to media and reporters in developing countries.

The awards honor "truth, objectivity and excellence" in journalism, Zhou said, adding that the aim is to encourage all people working in the media to honor their professional skills and pursue excellence, while "inspiring media setups to work with the times in the spirit of innovation".

Each award will have one winner with a cash prize of $10,000, and a number of nominations will be listed, according to the secretariat.

Cai Shangwei, a professor at the Institute of Radio and Television of Sichuan University, viewed the award for public welfare as a platform for reporters in developing countries to have a voice on the world stage.

"Having an award especially for developing countries is a good sign to let the world know and understand news conception and expression in developing countries, which have long been neglected," Cai said.

He added that China, as one of the developing countries, will take the opportunity to "make our voice" in the news field and eliminate misunderstandings.

Tang Runhua, a senior media researcher, said news inequality has long existed around the world because media and reporters in developing countries have not had such a platform.

"The awards are a start to let the world know about developing countries," Tang said.

WMS is a platform for media organizations, including Xinhua News Agency, the Associated Press and Thomson Reuters, to communicate about the challenges and development trends for media in the digital age.