Publisher Trevor Ncube short-listed for press freedom award

By Lance Guma
27 February 2007

The publisher of the Zimbabwe Independent, Standard and Mail & Guardian newspapers, Trevor Ncube has been short listed for the Index on Censorship, Hugo Young award for Journalism 2007. The 7th annual Freedom of Expression awards will held in London on the 14th March. Ncube is cited for his ‘tireless work in continuing to run the only independent newspapers in Zimbabwe while under constant attack from the government.’ He was described as ‘incredibly inspiring.’ Index on Censorship say ‘despite a number of personal attacks, the government has been unable to shut down Trevor’s newspapers or otherwise silence him.’

Ncube is part of a line up which according to Index on Censorship includes, ‘a barefoot lawyer from China, an American whistleblower who used ‘You Tube’ to expose a cover up, an Italian filmmaker who took on the government through satire and a Pakistani woman who took her rapists to court rather than kill herself. The awards are broken down into several categories to include films, books, journalists, whistleblowers and those involved in campaigning against unjust laws. The award Ncube has been short listed for is named in memory of Hugo Young, a UK Guardian columnist, and recognises someone ‘who has shown an outstanding commitment to journalistic integrity in defence of freedom of expression.’

Others nominated in the same category are Jayyab Abu Safia, a presenter on Gaza FM who defied death threats from Islamic fundamentalists and continues to discuss controversial subjects. Egyptian Kareem Amer, a 22-year-old blogger recently sentenced to four years for criticising Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Carlos Lozana, the editor of the only opposition newspaper in Colombia who has survived several attempts on his life, completes the list. The Association of Zimbabwean Journalists in the UK has meanwhile thanked Index on Censorship for keeping an eye on Zimbabwe saying this would help expose the suppression of the media in the country. Coordinator Sandra Nyaira told Newsreel Ncube deserved to be nominated for his steadfast contribution to the media in spite of threats from the government.

The panel of judges who will decide the winners are professor Conor Gearty from the London school of Economics, Mark Kermode a BBC broadcaster, Kenan Malik a lecturer and broadcaster, Ursula Owen the co-founder of Virago Press, Richard Sambrook the Director of the BBC’s Global News division and Dreda Say Mitchell a novelist and educationist. According to their website Index on Censorship ‘was founded in 1972 by the poet Stephen Spender in response to a plea for help from Soviet dissidents facing show trials in Moscow and was founded on the principle that ‘freedom of expression is a fundamental human right.’ Their annual awards have since become a milestone in the human rights calendar and honour people who have made outstanding contributions, often-heroic ones, in the defence of freedom of expression.