HDNet World Report Wins Prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award

HDNet World Report Wins Prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award

Weekly news program garners third major award this season; Story about child soldiers in Uganda is honored

DALLAS, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- "HDNet World Report," the network's highly respected weekly news program, has been awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "A Silent War, A Violent Peace: Uganda's Child Soldiers."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)

This is the third major award for World Report this season; previously, "A Silent War ... ' won a National Headliner Award, as did a story about terrorism in the Philippines.

In "A Silent War, A Violent Peace: Uganda's Child Soldiers" (a co-production with PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer") producer/correspondent Kira Kay and producer/cameraman Jason Maloney examined how the civil war in Uganda has brutalized children, including some who, as young as 11 years-old, had been kidnapped and forced into committing atrocities by rebels, led by the charismatic warlord Joseph Kony. The story also portrayed how the effort to bring Kony and his men to justice complicates a fragile peace process underway.

Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy, called the producers personally to congratulate them on the award. Kay and Maloney had just returned to the United States from India, where they were on assignment for World Report.

"Once again, World Report has proven itself as one of the best news programs on television," said Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of HDNet. "This award is just one more well-deserved accolade, recognizing the hard work of our correspondents worldwide."

The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award honors the outstanding reporting of the lives and strife of disadvantaged people throughout the world. Led by a committee of six independent journalists, the Awards are judged by more than fifty journalists each year. It has become the largest program of its kind and one of few in which the winners are determined solely by their peers.

"HDNet World Report" airs every Tuesday at 9:00 ET as a part of the network's News and Documentary programming night. Dennis O'Brien is the executive producer of World Report.

About HDNet

HDNet (http://www.hd.net/) provides viewers with the best in original comedy, drama, news, sports and music programming.

HDNet is your exclusive, high definition home for popular, critically acclaimed original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs: "HDNet World Report", "Dan Rather Reports" featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather, and "NASA on HDNet" (presenting live shuttle launches through 2010). HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the NASCAR Camping World Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup re-broadcasts, boxing and premiere Mixed Martial Arts from "HDNet Fights"; behind-the-scenes sports news with "Inside the NHL" and "Inside MMA"; groundbreaking music programming with the HDNet Concert Series featuring leading artists and bands including U2, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, and more; entertaining and irreverent lifestyle programming including "Deadline!", "Art Mann Presents", and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to the critically acclaimed and award winning programs such as the Emmy Award winning "Arrested Development", "The Black Donnellys", "Blade: The Series", "Star Trek: Enterprise", "Smallville" and the hit BBC series "Torchwood."

HDNet Movies also features a wide selection of major studio theatrical releases - all uncut, unedited, and appearing in their original aspect ratio so that HDNet Movies viewers get the best possible home theater experience.

Only HDNet Movies exclusive "Sneak Previews" bring feature films to viewers before they premiere in theaters! Some of the HDNet Movies "Sneak Previews" have included the Academy Award nominated "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room", Toronto Film Festival nominee "The War Within", and "Bubble", the first of six movies by acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh and produced exclusively for HDNet Films "Cashback", written and produced by Sean Ellis, "Broken English", from Zoe Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands, Parker Posey, Drea de Matteo and Griffin Dunne and, most recently the critically acclaimed "Redacted" directed by Brian De Palma. Upcoming "Sneak Previews" include "Quid Pro Quo", starring Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga, "Gonzo", the story of the life and death of infamous gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson from director Alex Gibney and producer Graydon Carter, and "Flawless", starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit http://www.hd.net/.

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Source: HDNet

CONTACT: Colette Carey of HDNet, +1-303-542-5576, ccarey@hd.net

Web site: http://www.hd.net/

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Profile: International Entertainment