Page 43 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013

THE CHANNEL | ISSUE 1 2013 | 43
In the weeks after Irishman Maurice Sullivan was
mauled to death in Malaysia by two pit-bull cross
dogs, his death was reported and misreported, both
nationally in Malaysia and Ireland and internationally.
Maurice had ventured into a farm without permission;
questions were raised whether he had goaded the
dogs. At the same time, an online campaign urged the
authorities to save these dogs from death on the
grounds that they were only protecting
their owners.
Six months after Maurice's death,
RTE’s Sarah Blake set out to
investigate what really happened on
that sunny day that turned into a
nightmare on that sleepy
mountainside farm in Malaysia, and
the legal battle that ensued. Maurice - a Final
Journey was “amazing” said our judges. So hard
hitting that it became difficult to listen. But you had to
- you were gripped. A superb piece of work.
Highly commended
BFBS Radio
Yuddha Ka Sarathi
‘Yuddha Ka Sarathi’ ('Warriors') tells the true war
stories of veteran Gurkha soldiers from the hills of
Nepal in a series of intimate interviews. Innocent
young men have to leave their families behind, face
life in a foreign land and eventually celebrate victory.
Engaging programmes.
ABC Radio
Intellectually Disabled Fight for Justice
Nance Hoxton examines how disabled people are
being unfairly discriminated against by the South
Australian court system, particularly in cases of alleged
sexual abuse. With this documentary, the issue was
addressed on a national level for the first time.
Czech Radio
Britons at Czechoslovakian Radio
Two courageous Britons and more than 120 ridiculed,
fooled SS men in the Prague Uprising of 1945 -
Stanislav Motl recounted the story of how two British
soldiers helped keep Czech Radio safe. Beautifully
crafted with great use of archive material.
S
The overall winner in radio current affairs was BBC
Arabic for its emotive production The Women of
Tahrir Square.
The programme traced the story of some of the
women who protested in Tahrir Square to mark
International Women’s Day after the fall of the
Mubarak regime and to press for greater rights for
women in Egypt.
Samira Ibrahim
was one of the
protesters. She told
how she and many
other women were
taken to an army
detention centre
where, once married and unmarried women had been
separated, she was subjected to a virginity test.
Our judges said that the women's story is a
powerful first person account of issues underlying the
Egyptian struggle and was an important story to tell.
It also helps to destroy prejudices around Arab
women and their role in their societies. A deserving
winner.
Highly commended
Radio New Zealand
Broken River
Days after the city of Christchurch was devastated by
a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, This Way Up's presenter
Simon Morton traverses the city using the Avon River
as his route. Travelling on a bicycle from the source of
the Avon in the West to Heathcote Estuary in the East,
where the Avon meets the Pacific, everyone has a
story to tell. The judges said this was highly engaging
with excellent production values and an interesting
perspective - and the bike is a great device.
RFE/RL
Solitary Confinement
The powerful story of Iran’s political prisoners and the
appalling conditions in which they are kept was the
focus of this production of Radio Farda. Our judges
noted that this was a courageous documentary given
the potential persecution faced by those speaking out;
a remarkable production, with high levels of creativity
and variety in the resources used.
Radio investigative
documentary
RTE
Radio current affairs
documentary
BBC Arabic
Inspiring creativity
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BBC Arabic