Al Jazeera Englishs Hamish MacDonald was recognized as the Young Journalist of the Year by the Royal Television Society at its awards gala in London on 20 February. Hamish was commended by the judges for his confident and unique style, and was praised for his courageous coverage of the street protests in Malaysia.
Hamish, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, faced tough competition from his colleague Al Jazeeras Haru Mutasa and Channel 4s Nima Elbagir, but impressed the judges with his distinctive coverage of events. Commenting on the award, Hamish stated, “Al Jazeera really does try to bring a fresh perspective to the news, not just in words, but in the very nature of their coverage. Im thankful to Al Jazeera for giving me a chance to work with them.”
Al Jazeera Englishs Managing Director Nigel Parsons added, “We are very proud of Hamish who has worked extremely hard and deserves this award. He and Haru Mutasa, who was also nominated for the Young Journalist of the Year award, truly represent the Al Jazeera spirit. For me, they exemplify what the whole team at Al Jazeera is all about: the willingness to take risks to bring people the real story as it is happening on the ground.”
Al Jazeera English was also nominated for News Channel of the Year, Young Journalist of the Year for Haru Mutusa and for James Bays Taliban Embedded, which provided groundbreaking insights into the lives of a Taliban cell in Afghanistan.