Radio Free Asia Cantonese Reporters Win Hong Kong Press Prize

Radio Free Asia Cantonese Reporters Win Hong Kong Press Prize

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HONG KONG, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporters have won prestigious Human Rights Press Awards for their Cantonese-language radio broadcasts.

"The fact that the only grand prize radio winners are Radio Free Asia reporters is very significant," RFA President Dick Richter said of the competition, organized by Amnesty International Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong.

"It underscores the new difficulties facing by the local Hong Kong media since China absorbed the territory in 1997, and it demonstrates the value of RFA's consistent excellence as a substitute source of news and information," Richter said. "Both award-winners, Lillian Cheung and Gregory Ho, are talented reporters who know a good story and are not afraid to go after it."

In a June 12 ceremony in Hong Kong, Ho was recognized for a feature on Chinese controls over short message systems (SMS) (text-messaging). Cheung was recognized for her story on abuses in prison against June 4, 1989 demonstrators. Cheung won the same award in 2004.

The Amnesty International Hong Kong Section, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong, co-organized the 9th Annual Human Right Press Awards and the Awards Presentation Ceremony, awarding 10 Prizes and five Merits in English categories, 10 prizes and 13 merits awarded to Chinese entries, and 1 Prize and 11 Merits in Photography. There were 131 Chinese-language submissions and 66 English-language submissions.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) transmits in Cantonese to China, including the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong, for one hour daily by shortwave and around the clock through its Web site, http://www.rfa.org/. RFA also broadcasts in Burmese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Vietnamese.

RFA is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting news and information to listeners in those East Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely news reports are unavailable. RFA adheres to the highest standards of journalism and strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).

Source: Radio Free Asia

CONTACT: Sarah Jackson-Han, Communications Director of Radio Free Asia, Direct: +1-202-530-7774, Mobile: +1-202-907-4613, or jacksonhans@rfa.org

Web site: http://www.rfa.org/

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