AJ+

The Murrow Awards are one of the most meaningful nights in the U.S. journalistic calendar, and we were honored to accept an award for the Best Video Series for AJ+'s work with Bisan Owda. But it's a real shame that the organizers took time to acknowledge the media professionals who covered Hurricane Milton (which is of course challenging), but not the Palestinians in Gaza who've been working through the deadliest period for journalists since the CPJ's records began. Just this week one of our colleagues, Fadi Al-Deeb, went into a coma after being shot by Israeli forces. By the CPJ's count, over 128 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7, with the vast majority in Gaza. While the recognition from events like this means a lot to us, we will continue to use them to honor the sacrifices of journalists in our community in every possible setting. We will also take every opportunity to remind our fellow professionals that journalism is not a crime.

Wow, Bisan Owda and our team AJ+ Reports won an Emmy. It’s not lost on me how dystopian it feels to celebrate while Bisan is trapped, reporting under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. She should’ve been here receiving the award with us. What an honor and privilege it’s been to produce Bisan’s stories and help humanize Palestinian voices. It’s heartwarming to see her courage, tenacity and compassion resonate around the world. Thank you to the journalistic community for standing with us. This was a team effort and I want to share this honor with my dear colleagues. #JournalismIsNotACrime

This award should have rightfully been accepted by Bisan Owda. It is testimony to the power of one young woman armed only with an iPhone and a commitment to the truth, who has survived almost a year of bombardment from one of the world's most powerful militaries. Many of her Palestinian journalist colleagues in Gaza have not been lucky - over 116 have been killed, including several Al Jazeera Media Network staff. Our colleagues in the West Bank also reported live at gunpoint last week on the shut down of their office. This award means a lot in terms of the recognition from our news media community, and at this crucial time we are urging them to stand with us and say that Journalism is Not A Crime, but Targeting Journalists Is.

Bisan Owda and AJ+ just won an Emmy Award for her films from Gaza. Bisan, who has also been honored with Peabody and Murrow Awards said: "We all know the truth, but our fear undermines our ability to say it out loud, and sometimes even drives us to hide it! "But remember that truth is the only way we can be free from fear.” AJ+ Managing Director Dima Khatib said: "Bisan’s reporting has been humanising the Palestinian story after decades of mainstream media’s systematic dehumanisation of Palestinians. "Winning this Emmy is a win for humanity.” Accepting the award on behalf of Bisan and AJ+, Supervising Executive Producer Jon Laurence said: "This award is testimony to the power of one young woman armed only with an iPhone."

AJ+ turned ten this week. I clearly remember looking at many of its early innovations - text on screen video, meeting audiences where they were at on social platforms, and deliberately amplifying voices not heard elsewhere in the media - and being immediately inspired. AJ+ has had to evolve since launch - not least because its innovations have been so widely copied and accepted as standard practice. Last month marked my five year anniversary with the brand and with Al Jazeera Media Network - and the pace of change has been relentless. It's involved working under the leadership of Moeed Ahmad, Tony Karon, and with our amazing teams to adapt the AJ+ newsroom, to meet the challenges of the pandemic, constant algorithm shifts and orienting our focus towards a global audience rather than being strictly focused on the US. It has been incredibly challenging, and incredibly rewarding - especially in the last year, with our multi award-winning coverage of Gaza across all four AJ+ languages. Our teams are now distributed across the US and across four continents - so it was tough not being able to mark the occasion with everyone in person. I couldn't be more grateful for our teams' work, which in turn makes me incredibly confident in our ability to respond to whatever the next ten years bring.

Al Jazeera Media Network stands behind Bisan Owda's reporting in Gaza for AJ+ - in the face of a campaign to silence her. Her journalism has been honored by a number of prestigious bodies through rigorous and independent processes. It is a unique, historic and innovative testament to the struggles faced by Palestinians in the territory. We urge the journalistic and creative communities to join us in standing with Bisan. https://lnkd.in/g8SeAjAD

We are honored that the series 'It's Bisan from Gaza - and I'm Still Alive' has been recognized with a Murrow Award for Best Video Series by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). This is well-deserved recognition for Bisan - who continues to report under the most challenging circumstances imaginable - and the AJ+ team that has produced such accessible and journalistically rigorous material. We only wish that there was more recognition for Bisan's colleagues in Gaza. As of today, by the Committee to Protect Journalists' count, 113 journalists and media workers have been killed in the territory since October 7. It's the deadliest period since the CPJ began gathering data in 1992. Please read Maram Humaid's piece - 'The world has forgotten us' - and take the time to remember the work of your Palestinian journalist colleagues in Gaza https://lnkd.in/eRdVinxa

Huge congratulations to Bisan Owda for this recognition at this year’s News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Through her independent journalism and her work with AJ+, she has been crucial in engaging the attention of younger audiences worldwide through her resilience, empathy and vulnerability. She has combined this with a journalistic precision in documenting her daily reality, which continues to be tough beyond what many of us can easily comprehend. Credit is also due to her phenomenal EP Kat Hayes, and her extremely dedicated team of producers and senior producers Anna Kook Angie Nassar Julia Muldavin Tabish Talib Tupac Saavedra Sara Salman, plus all those at AJ+ who contributed to this enormous team effort.