March 16, 2022
KABUL: The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) honored four journalists with the Afghanistan 2022 Journalist of the Year award in a ceremony marking National Journalist Day in Kabul.
A jury panel selected the award winners through a competition process, which included reporters from ToloNews TV channel, Pajhwok Afghan News, Hasht-e-Subh daily, and the AFP.
The awards were given in recognition of the incredible work and dedication of the journalists who have gone the extra mile to report the stories that matter the most.
The winners of the competition include a report about a poor farmer in eastern Kunar province who lost six soldier sons in war by ToloNews reporter Sedaqat Ghorzang, an investigative report on the role of Ajmal Ahmadi, former Acting Governor of Afghanistan’s Central Bank in the financial crisis by Hasht-e-Subh daily reporter Hasibullah Bahesh, an impactful report on the rehabilitation of a district hospital in Fariyab province by Pajhwok Afghan News reporter Qutbuddin Kohi, and a report on the severe consequences of drought in Badghis province by AFP reporter Mohammad Arif Karim.
Faisal Karimi, speaking on behalf of the jury panel, stated that the panel reviewed 42 applications received from television, radio, print, and online journalists from all over the country.
The jury's decision led to the joint recognition of the four short-listed journalists as the winners of the 2022 Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award. They were honored with a crystal plaque and a cash prize of AFN 12,500 each.
AFJC Executive Director Ahmad Quraishi mentioned that the Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award was launched in 2014 to commend the professionalism of Afghan journalists and encourage them to adhere to internationally applied journalism standards in their coverage of events inside Afghanistan.
Since the award's launch in 2014, 14 Afghan journalists, including four women from various media outlets, have received this prestigious recognition.