Deadline approaching for Bruce Jesson Journalism Awards nominations

Calls for nominations for the Bruce Jesson Journalism Awards will close at the end of the month (30 June). Two awards are offered each year, including one for senior journalists and one for "emerging" student journalists in New Zealand. The award is aimed at promoting critical, analytical journalism that will contribute to public debate on important issues in New Zealand.

Press Release

The Bruce Jesson Foundation was established in 1999 to commemorate one of New Zealand’s greatest political journalists, the late Bruce Jesson, by promoting vigorous political, social and economic investigation, debate, analysis and reporting in New Zealand. To this end, the Foundation holds an annual lecture and sponsors two annual Bruce Jesson Journalism Prizes for ‘Senior’ and ‘Emerging’ journalists respectively.

The Senior Journalism Prize offers an emolument of up to NZ$3,000 to assist writers aiming to produce the kind of critical and analytical journalism exemplified by Jesson’s work as a columnist in Metro magazine, as editor of The Republican and as the author of several influential pieces of book journalism. The prize is a self-nominated award dedicated to in-depth journalism projects on public issues that might not be undertaken, completed, or published without non-commercial subsidy.

The Emerging Journalism Prize recognises “outstanding recent work by New Zealand print journalism students.” It shares the senior award’s broad aim of seeking "critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues," but it differs in three important respects:

• It is focused more narrowly on the already published work of print journalism students (though, exceptional unpublished work may occasionally be considered).

• It seeks nominations from heads of New Zealand Journalism Schools or journalism programme leaders rather than from the student journalists themselves.

• It offers a fixed emolument of NZ$500, together with certificates of commendation for one or more runners-up.

Nominations for the 2010 Bruce Jesson Journalism Prizes are hereby sought from either the writers themselves in the case of the senior journalism award, or from heads of New Zealand journalism schools or journalism programme leaders in the case of the emerging journalism award. Nominees’ work will be assessed by members of the Jesson Foundation’s Journalism Subcommittee: Jon Stephenson (convener), Joe Atkinson, Simon Collins and Pacific Media Centre director David Robie.

Nominations together with appropriate supporting documentation including, for the emerging journalism award, copies of the nominated articles, should be forwarded by Monday, June 30, 2010 to Dr Joe Atkinson, Secretary of the Bruce Jesson Foundation by email j.atkinson@auckland.ac.nz, or in hard copy c/- Political Studies Department, University of Auckland, PB 92019, AUCKLAND.

Further inquiries to Dr Atkinson by mail or email as above or by phone (09) 373 7599 ext. 88094, or to AUT's Pacific Media Centre director Associate Professor David Robie by email delaro@clear.net.nz or phone (09) 921 9999 extn 7834
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Patron: Professor Noam Chomsky
Chair: Professor Jane Kelsey
Secretary: Dr Joe Atkinson

Bruce Jesson Foundation

Bruce Jesson journalism award gets facelift

New Zealand's only award for critical journalism is being revamped to link in with a growing movement for more democratic local media. The Bruce Jesson Foundation, set up after the death of journalist-politician Bruce Jesson in 1999, has provided up to $3000 a year since 2004 for “critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues”.
A review after its first four years has concluded that the award should continue, with a slight change in the criteria to cover publishing, as well as producing, critical journalism. Foundation chair Professor Jane Kelsey says experience to date shows that the barrier to good journalism is not always in the actual production of the work, but in finding an outlet in our commercialised market that is willing to publish it.
Kelsey says the award is now part of a growing recognition that the commercial imperatives of our largely foreign-owned media, increasingly focused on celebrities and consumerism, need to be balanced by a deliberate community-based effort to provide journalism on public issues – issues that affect us as citizens and workers as well as consumers.
The union representing most journalists, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), is organising a public review of NZ journalism this year, seeking submissions on issues such as media ownership and commercial pressures.
A Movement for Democratic Media is also being formed to bring together journalists and other citizens who want to produce and promote public issue journalism.
"Our award is more important than ever now," Kelsey says. "We hope we can support some of the other initiatives to produce more public issue journalism, and we hope that the growing recognition of this gap in our society will spur more journalists and citizens to apply for our
award."
The award covers living costs and direct costs such as phone calls and travel to enable New Zealanders to investigate and report on issues in depth. Applications for the 2008 award close on 30 June.
Past winners and applications - further information:

• Chair: Prof Jane Kelsey, 09 373 7599 x 88006 or 021 765 055
• Senior lecturer Joe Atkinson, 09 373 7599 x 88094
• Simon Collins, 09 483 5911 or 021 612 423
• Rebecca Jesson, 09 521 8118 or 0274 714 690
• A/Prof David Robie (joined 2007), 09 921 9999 x 7834 or 021 112 2079
• Jon Stephenson (joined 2007), 09 368 4689