Republic of Mauritius- Media Trust Awards Night 2020: Journalists rewarded for excellence

Six journalists were awarded prizes in different categories. The ‘Nicolas Lambert’ Prize, dedicated to excellence in journalism, was awarded to the journalist from Défi Media, Jean Hughes Olivier, for his story on the subject of drugs in the world of horseracing, entitled “Sponsors never denounced”. This article also earned him the award for best journalist in the sports category.

Five other trophies, in addition to the ‘Nicolas Lambert’ Prize, were awarded to: Santana Ponceneau from Radio Plus for best radio production; Fabrice Jaulim, Adila Mohit-Saroar and Jean Marie St-Cyr from Défi Media Group for best written press article; Ritvik Neerbun from MBC for the sustainable development category 2019; Anoop Tataree for best photo of the year and; Murvind Beetun for best multimedia production.

In his address, the Acting President emphasised the important role of a free and independent press while stressing on the duty for journalists to respect the code of ethics while doing their job. He also cautioned against sensationalism and defamation linked to the freedom and plurality that Mauritian media benefits from.

The jury, which was called upon to select the best entries, consisted of Deepa Bookhun Rainer, former journalist at l’Express, Rajen Bablee, Executive Director of Transparency Mauritius, Roukaya Kasenally, lecturer at the University of Mauritius, Nanda Armoogum, former journalist at the MBC and Bernard Saminaden, former journalist at l’Express.