The Rory Peck Awards 2024 celebrated independent journalists risking their lives in conflict zones. In the face of increasing violence against reporters, this event shines a light on media freedom and the importance of ethical journalism in dangerous assignments.
The 30th annual Rory Peck awards in London this week highlighted the exceptional work of freelance journalists covering global stories ranging from Palestine and Ukraine to Darfur, Haiti and Burma.
With so many dire wars or forgotten issues over the past year, we often forget how such stories managed to reach our television, computer or mobile phone screens illustrating the dire predicaments of so many victims caught up in conflict or other horrendous situations. Hosted by the BBC’s Clive Myrie and Channel 4’s Cathy Newman, the Rory Peck awards ceremony on 28 November 2024 at London’s British Film Institute did precisely that. It honoured those willing to take the risks to cover the stories that matter.
“The many recent conflicts around the world have demonstrated the vital role independent journalism plays in illuminating what is happening on the ground,” maintained Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust. “But after the deadliest twelve months ever for the media, the increasing number of journalists not just killed, but also injured and detained, highlights the very real risks freelancers face as eyewitnesses to history. We owe them so much for their critical work, enabling both justice and accountability.”
For the first time, the winning entries across all award categories focused on a single story, notably Gaza, highlighting the courageous reporting, extreme loss of life and suffering of media workers from Palestine. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, its preliminary investigations show that at least 137 journalists and media workers were among the more than tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the war began. This makes it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
Given that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have prohibited any international journalists, including Israelis, from operating freely on their own except for occasional organized press trips, virtually all the in-depth reporting has been undertaken by Palestinian reporters and media workers. Occasional controlled footage, which cannot necessarily be verified, is made available by the IDF to Israeli and other broadcasters.
The Rory Peck Trust, which hosts the Awards, was founded in 1994 after Northern Irish-American filmmaker Rory Peck was killed by a sniper in Moscow two years earlier covering events provoked by Russia’s constitutional crisis. The Trust established the awards in 1995.
Filmmaker Rory Peck, who was killed in Moscow in 1993.
With four main categories, the Awards seek to accentuate the significant contribution of freelance journalists to the international media industry and celebrate the most outstanding work produced each year. As Williams further noted: “The Rory Peck Awards shine a light on their extraordinary achievements, while recognising the many sacrifices that freelance journalists make to ensure the world knows the truth.”
The Rory Peck Trust is a UK-based international charity dedicated to protecting independent journalism by empowering and supporting freelance journalists globally. The Rory Peck Awards are the only such annual event to focus exclusively on freelance journalism, which recognises the world’s most exceptional independent journalists and the vital role they play in international newsgathering. Since its founding, the Trust has helped more than 3,300 freelance journalists – over 300 this year alone.