Discovery Health Journalism Awards 2011

Discovery opens the fourth annual Discovery Health Journalism Awards

Discovery Health bestows the awards to the best health journalism every year – judged by an independent judging panel.

South Africa has one of the best private healthcare systems in the world and the level of reporting on issues surrounding both the private healthcare and public health systems is broad and extensive. Discovery aims to recognise excellence in health reporting by South African journalists.

Health reporting is particularly challenging in terms of advancing public understanding of healthcare because it is a diverse field involving a complex range of issues or debates covering finance, economics, ethics, clinical policy, science, wellness, medical technology, research, and the human experience.

Discovery recognises that it takes skill and expert knowledge to get a medical or health economics story right, and convey it to the public in such a manner that it is factually correct while still accessible and understandable. Excellent health reporting is a crucial public service and Discovery believes in the integrity of well researched and balanced articles.

There are ten categories to compete in 

The independent judging panel are dedicated to recognising high-quality print and broadcast and online journalism that ultimately promotes better understanding of health and wellness issues for the general public.

Preference will be given to work characterised by high quality reporting.

Applicants can enter the following categories:

1. Best health news reporting
   

   This award goes to an excellent piece of reporting of breaking news. The key criteria of assessment are good reporting, clinical and scientific accuracy, exclusivity of angle, and the ability to present a fair and balanced report under tight deadlines.

2. Best healthy lifestyle feature
   This award is for the best example of feature reporting on healthy living. Topics include food and nutrition, exercise and fitness as well as wellness trends. The key criteria of assessment are good reporting, depth of understanding of subject, clinical and scientific accuracy and the ability to inform, motivate and inspire readers to lead healthier lives.

3. Best health consumer reporting and feature writing
   This award is for a distinguished example of health consumer writing covering on-going or break-through developments on topics such as conditions and treatments, medicines, and doctors and hospitals, appearing in a print consumer publication. The key criteria of assessment are good writing, depth of understanding of the subject, clinical and scientific accuracy, and the ability to inform, motivate and inspire readers to understand consumer-related health issues.

4. Best investigative reporting
   This award is for a distinguished example of investigative reporting on a health or healthcare issue, presented as a single article or series by an individual or team . The award will be assessed for good reporting, how well-researched the piece is its exclusiveness, clinical and scientific accuracy and its implications on the healthcare arena and broader society.

5. Best analysis and commentary
   This award is for best commentary or editorial on a health or healthcare issue. The key criteria of assessment are clarity and originality of style, sound reasoning, depth of analysis and understanding of subject and the power to influence public opinion.

6. Best radio health journalism
   This radio award is for an excellent example of a news or feature report on a health or healthcare issue. The main criteria for this award is originality in how the story is presented, how well the subject is understood, the easy and clear style, as well as clinical and scientific accuracy.

7. Best television health journalism
   This television award is for an outstanding example of a news or feature report on a health or healthcare issue in the medium of television. The winning piece will be original in how it is presented, demonstrate skillful integration of sound and visuals, show depth of understanding, clarity of style, as well as clinical and scientific accuracy.

8. Best trade publication health journalism
   The best trade publication health journalism awards is for the best example of a news or feature report on a health or healthcare issue. The winning entry will be clear and easy to understand, show depth of reporting and research, a solid understanding of the subject, clinical and scientific accuracy, and will have the ability to inform and influence decision-makers in the healthcare arena.

9. Best health economics journalism
   This award goes to the best reporting on significant issues affecting the healthcare industry and its stakeholders. Submissions will be assessed for clarity and accessibility of reporting, depth of research, originality of angle, clinical and scientific accuracy as well as expert understanding of the issues affecting health economics in South African society.

10. LoveLife young upcoming health journalist of the year
    This is the newest category to the Discovery Health journalism awards. This award aims to recognise excellence in health journalism by a young journalist to encourage growth and commitment within this crucial and growing field of journalism in South Africa, and to promote quality health journalism within the country’s diverse range of media. Submissions for this category are open to journalists who are younger than 30 years of age.

Discovery Health Journalist of the Year

This prestigious award is for distinguished reporting on health and healthcare issues, demonstrating a commitment to the highest principles of journalism in pursuit of a greater understanding of health and healthcare by society at large. The prize is for exemplary work that sets the benchmark for other health journalists.

The judging panel will choose the winner of this main award from the winning entrants of the ten categories of the competition.

Please note: The judging panel reserves the right to transfer an entry to another category if, in their view, it is more appropriate.

What the winners will take home 

• The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of R25 000
• The overall winner, the Discovery Health Journalist of the Year, will walk away with a total prize of R75 000. The judging panel will select the winner from the winning entrants of the nine categories.
• The judging panel reserves the right to recommend additional prizes based on merit.

The winners will be chosen by an independent judging panel 

The awards are judged by an independent panel of media and health experts.

Awards will be made in each category, provided that entries of a sufficiently high standard are received. The judging panel’s decision is final. No written or verbal debate will be entered into.

The sponsors and the judging panel reserve the right to change the conditions, rules, categories and prize details of future competitions at their discretion. Prizes are not transferable.

Profiles of panel of judges-

Convener – Professor Tawana Kupe

Professor Tawana Kupe is Associate Professor of Media Studies and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Wits University. He holds BA Hons and MA degrees in English and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Media Studies from the University of Oslo in Norway. He has taught Journalism and Media Studies at universities in Zimbabwe, Norway and South Africa.

He has published a book, book chapters and journal articles on journalism and media.  Kupe has been a columnist for a number of newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, City Press, The Media, and Maverick and is regular commentator for radio and television.

He has since 2001 been a judge of a number of journalism and media awards including: Vodacom Journalism of the Year Award (of which was a founding Judge), MTN Women in the Media, SADC Media Awards and Webber Wentzel Legal Journal Journalist of the Year Award.

Dr Bavesh Kana

Dr Kana is a celebrated researcher in his field and he has delivered papers across the globe, with numerous awards for it. He holds a BSc in biochemistry and genetics, with an honours degree in biochemistry. He has also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in mycobacteriology from the University of the Witwatersrand.

He is currently the director of the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand where he is involved in studying tuberculosis (TB) with a focus on identifying novel targets for the development of new antimicrobial agents. He has worked extensively overseas in the US and collaborates with researchers at leading institutions such as the Public Health Research Institute and Harvard University. He serves on several university committees and is involved in the lecturing and mentoring of post graduate students. He is a reviewer for various international scientific journals and has held grants from the National Research Foundation, the National Health Laboratory Service, the Fogarty International Centre and the South African Medical Research Council.

Siki Mgabadeli

Siki is an independent financial journalist and producer. She is currently the host of Morning Talk on SAFM – a talkshow, which deals with politics, life and finance between 9am and 12 midday, Monday to Friday. She also co-anchored SABC3’s Africa Inc., a show looking at BEE. She was, until recently, senior business news anchor at CNBC Africa. She is the face of the GSMA’s Mobile Money Summit and was a presenter and facilitator at the 2011 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  She covered major African markets and participated at the World Economic Forum on Africa, the IBSA Editor’s Conference in India and the African Green Revolution Conference in Oslo, Norway. She has won a variety of awards for her journalism including the Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year award – TV News Category and the Sanlam Financial Journalist of the Year: TV Category.

Mandy de Waal

Nicola J Christofides

Promoting gender equality in a range of health issues is a passion of Nicola. She has addressed this through her work at various institutions, for example as a Specialist Scientist at the Gender and Health Research Unit at the Medical Research Council, and as a consultant at the Gender Taskforce, Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) at the World Health Organization and as a Researcher and Programme Manager at the Women’s Health Project. Nicola now is a full-time academic at the University of Witwatersrand, School of Public Health where she is the academic coordinator for a new post-graduate field of study in Social and Behaviour Change Communication.

She holds a master’s degree in Public Health and is currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy degree through the Emory University in the United States. She has spent several years researching post-sexual assault health services and the role medico-legal evidence in rape case outcomes, amongst others. She was Chair of the drafting committee, developing the policy on sexual assault for the National Department of Health of South Africa and she was the first Chair of the South African Gender Based Violence and Health Initiative.

Criteria the judges will look at 

Submitted material will be judged on the following criteria:

• Understanding of subject and environment
• Interpretation of events and clinical accuracy
• Balanced, fair reporting
• Impact on industry, consumers
• Newsworthiness, relevance
• Communication and use of medium
• Quality of information, and
• Raising awareness and education.

Rules of the competition 

Entries must consist of articles or reports that appeared in South African print, online or broadcast media. Print submissions must be from media that publish daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Entries from annual publications will not be accepted. Broadcast submissions must be material from hard news, current affairs, or health and lifestyle programmes.

Please submit entries to Discovery either by email, post or delivery. All entries must have been published or broadcast between January 1 and 31 December 2011.

The competition is open to all full-time and freelance journalists in South Africa, employed by any South African media house.

Important information for all entries

• Entries must be submitted either by email in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF), post, or delivered to Discovery’s head office at 155 West Street, Sandton, 2146.
• The entrant and their editor must sign the entry. Unsigned entries will not be accepted
• The following must accompany each entry:
  • Name of the entrant and the media organisation they work for
  • Completed and signed form for each entry
  • Topic and one sentence description of submitted work
  • Date of published or broadcast material
  • The category the work must be entered into
  • Copies of submitted work
  • Short biography (no more than half a page) and a recent photograph
  • Written summary of up to 500 words, outlining the context, background, rationale and motivation of each entry.
• There is no entry fee.
• Entrants will receive an email confirmation that their entries have been received and logged.
• The sponsors reserve the right to substitute prizes, of reasonably comparable value, in the event that the award prizes, for any reason, are, unavailable. Prizes are not transferable.
• In the interests of transparency, entrants are kindly requested to submit evidence of any significant challenge to the accuracy or fairness of the work they are entering into the awards. This includes published letters, corrections, retractions, and responses by the relevant publication.
• Discovery will not return the materials submitted by entrants.
• Envelopes with hard copy submissions must include contact details of the entrant.
• Work appearing in year-end publications with a 2012 dateline will be accepted, as long as the publication appeared on shelves or was distributed before the end of 2011.
• Work representing any and all the official South African languages will be accepted.

Rules for print media entries

• Entries for print media submissions should preferably be submitted by email in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
• Journalists may not enter more than three articles per category. Also, they are not allowed to enter the same article for different categories.
• Applications with more than three entries per category will be disqualified.
• Each entry must be accompanied by one copy of the article or editorial as it was published as well as the published date and name of publication.
• Articles may not be bound, and must be on A4-size paper in PDF format.

Rules for radio and TV entries

• Submitting hard copies is the only option for radio and TV journalist entrants.
• Reporters, presenters and producers working for radio and television may submit entries in both categories, up to a maximum of three entries per category.
• Applications with more than three entries per category will be disqualified.
• Broadcast entries must be accompanied by an MP3 or MP4 file on CD or DVD. The CD or DVD must be able to be played on a standard DVD player. Entries on videotape will not be accepted.
• The length of the recorded news report should not exceed five minutes.
• Radio and television entries must be accompanied by a script or transcript of the content on the recordings.

Entry Form

Submissions may be made as follows:

a)Email submission

Please make sure the submission is in PDF format or Word document.

Please send your entry to journalismawards@discovery.co.za

The email correspondence should include all the information as stipulated under ‘Rules of the competition.’

b)Hard copy submission

Entrants using this method must complete the entry form and include all the information stipulated under ‘Rules of the competition.’ The entry form will be available on Discovery’s website.

Submitted work must include a return address and be sent to:

Attention: Duke Malan
Discovery Media Relations

Postal Address
Discovery Health Journalism Awards
PO Box 786722
Sandton 2146

Or

Physical address
Discovery Health Journalism Awards
155 West Street
Sandton 2146

Closing date for entries 

The closing date for entries is 3 February 2012. No extension will be considered.

The awards ceremony 

There will be an awards ceremony where the category winners and overall prize winner will be announced. It will take place in Johannesburg during May 2012. Venue and event details will be announced closer to the time.

Journalism Awards Winners

Where you can get more information 

The contact person for information about the awards is:

Duke Malan
Public and Investor Relations Manager
Discovery Marketing
+27 11 529 1151
+ 27 82 375 5707
dukem@discovery.co.za