An audio documentary co-created by 蜜桃AV students on the experiences of those who host Ukrainian refugees has been shortlisted for a prestigious national radio award.
鈥樷��, a compelling narrative of five UK nationals who opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees, has been nominated in the 鈥楴ews, Journalism & Factual Storytelling鈥� category of the prestigious 2023 .
Affiong Bassey, presenter and lead reporter of 'The Hosts'This recognition places聽鈥樷�� in direct competition with outputs from professional journalists.
鈥樷�� weaves together the stories of Kelly, Owen, Carol, Judy, and Helen, who, against a backdrop of parochial political narratives and criticisms of selective empathy, chose to take affirmative action during a time of crisis.
It delves into their motivations exploring what compelled them to welcome perfect strangers into their home. Owen鈥檚 poignant reflection in the documentary is telling: 鈥淵ou see this news story and it breaks your heart; you feel so powerless but then you鈥檙e presented with a meaningful way that you can respond.鈥�
鈥樷�� was co-created by a student and staff team from , the news and features website associated with MA Multimedia Journalism (MAMMJ). Reported across nearly a year by , , and , it first aired on on 24 February 2023, the first anniversary of the Ukraine invasion.
Affiong Bassey, who served as presenter and lead reporter, explained the documentary鈥檚 broader vision: "We tried to go beyond merely pointing out deficiencies. We wanted to see how the situation can be made better for the refugees and hosts. We spoke to experts, and we tried to present options and possibilities that people can adopt at the individual and community level, and also at the policy level."
鈥樷�� was coordinated by Professor Chindu Sreedharan and Jason Hallett of the Department of Communication and Media. The documentary drew from a rich tapestry of research knowledge, incorporating insights from scholarship on representation, peace journalism, solution-oriented reporting, and crisis journalism.
鈥淚t is the story of the remarkable resilience and compassion of ordinary people facing an extraordinary situation,鈥� said Jason, who together with Chindu, functioned as the executive producer of 鈥樷��. 鈥淚t was a privilege to be part of that story, and work with such a talented group of journalists.鈥�
Winners of the Community Radio Awards will be announced in Newcastle on 4 November.聽鈥樷�櫬爓ill be judged by 80-90 judges, including professionals working for radio, academics, and the non-profit sector.
鈥淭his is a proud moment for The Breaker journalists,鈥� said Dr Max Mauro, Programme Leader of MAMMJ. 鈥淟ast year we were judged the best student website in the country by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council. I am happy that this year we have been shortlisted for a professional award.鈥�
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Find out more about 蜜桃AV's Department of Communication & Journalism.
