Sky News’s reporting of the civil war in Myanmar has been recognised at the Amnesty International UK Media Awards.
The channel was the winner in the Broadcast News category for Myanmar‘s Hidden War.
Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his team spent a month last year living in the jungle with the rebels, with the conflict raging – and found people brave enough to share their harrowing stories of survival and resistance against the army.
Reflecting later on his time in the country, Ramsay wrote: “The jungle of Myanmar was to be our home for a month as we reported on a war that has been so rarely witnessed by outsiders.
“Our job was to gather the evidence of a conflict the junta denies and record the testimony of thousands of civilians forced from their homes by wave after wave of airstrikes, artillery shells, and infantry attacks.”
Ramsay added: “We were always on the move, and changed camp frequently because you couldn’t stay anywhere for too long because of the likelihood of spies spotting us and reporting back to the authorities.
“But we felt it was a risk worth taking, to bear witness to the incredible bravery of the volunteers, medics, doctors and nurses, working in horrendous and dangerous conditions – and to record the resilience of families, surviving and even thriving in an atmosphere of daily danger, death and destruction.
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“Most of those we spoke to told us how instead of breaking their resolve, in many ways the Myanmar military is actually making that resolve even stronger.”
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Amnesty says the annual awards highlight excellence in human rights journalism, as well as the bravery of journalists who risk their lives to uncover human rights abuses around the world and hold power to account.
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Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “The events of this year serve as a potent reminder that journalists and media workers continue to be threatened, prosecuted and even killed for speaking truth to power.
“It is clear that nowhere is truly safe for a journalist speaking truth to power right now.
“However, amid the global threats to press freedom, tonight’s Media Awards winners and finalists have all proven that we will not be silenced.”
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He added: “Their tireless efforts truly make an impact on the world, and if brave media workers continue to document, investigate, and share the stories of those who often have no voice, change will happen.”
