The award has been given
annually since 1930 by the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, one
of the leading journalism educators in America.
Other winning organizations
have included The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
Other winning journalists have included American TV news anchors Walter Cronkite
and Ted Koppel as well as Deborah Howell, a trailblazing editor and ombudsman.
The Kyiv Post, founded in
1995, is apparently the first Ukrainian news organization to win in the 84-year history of the Missouri Honor Medal. Journalists and media organizations are honored for lifetime or superior achievement. The winners are chosen by the university’s faculty.
The medal that will be given to the journalistic staff of the Kyiv Post is “for superior journalism throughout the publication’s history,” university officials said in announcing the award on June 23.
“The award for lifetime achievement makes the honor even sweeter. We owe a big debt of gratitude to all those who came before us at the Kyiv Post and blazed the trail for us,” said Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner. “A newspaper is made up of individuals, but we are just caretakers — temporary custodians — of a great institution that is stronger than any of us. Every journalist who has ever worked for the Kyiv Post since 1995 can claim a share of the credit. There are hundreds of writers and editors who should take a well-earned bow today for their contributions to what the Kyiv Post has become: Ukraine’s global voice for news in the English language.”
This year, the other six winners
are:
· The Guardian, the 193-year-old newspaper based in London has one of the most-read websites in the world.
· WIRED magazine;
· Barney E.
Calame, one of journalism’s most respected editors;
· Audie Cornish,
co-host of the long-running, award-winning All Things Considered show on National
Public Radio;
· Steve Kopcha,
one of advertising’s most notable creative leaders; and
· Eugene Richards,
a documentary photographer, filmmaker and writer.
In the last year, the Kyiv Post has distinguished itself for coverage of the EuroMaidan
Revolution that began on Nov. 21 and succeeded in ousting President Viktor Yanukovych on
Feb. 22. The staff also covered the Russian military invasion and
subsequent annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March and the Kremlin-fueled separatist war
in Ukraine’s eastern regions that started in April and continues today, claiming hundreds of lives.
The staff-written exclusive articles and opinions have propelled online readership to record heights, with more than 32 million
page views in 2014 alone through June 23. Moscow-based AGT Communications Agency,
during a six-month period from Nov. 21 to May 21, found that the Kyiv Post is the
second most-quoted Ukrainian or Russian newspaper by Western media outlets.
The 2014 awards will be given
during a ceremony at the University of Missouri campus on Oct. 28 at which
the newspaper will be represented by Bonner and deputy chief
editor Katya Gorchinskaya. The medalists will
also present workshops on topics related to their areas of expertise to
Missouri School of Journalism students and other guests.
“We’ve had an extremely
challenging and difficult year, reflecting Ukraine’s revolution and
war,” Bonner said. “It has also been rewarding to see that
our journalism is appreciated by a growing international audience. Throughout these events, my
colleagues have been fearless and relentless in providing coverage that helped the world to understand Ukraine’s complexities. We are an international, multilingual team that understands this nation intimately. The staff has excelled under trying and tragic circumstances that tested an entire nation. The events continue to challenge the international
community.”
The Kyiv Post has been owned and published for the last five years by British citizen Mohammad Zahoor and, through its “Independence. Community. Trust” motto, has strived to become the most reliable source of English-language news about
Ukraine. The founding owner is American Jed Sunden, who sold the newspaper to Zahoor on July 28, 2009.
Through the years, the Kyiv
Post’s editorial staff – which currently numbers 19 people — has covered numerous corruption scandals under former President
Leonid Kuchma, including the 2000 murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze, for
which Kuchma was implicated but never put on trial. The staff also covered the 2004 Orange
Revolution, which overturned a rigged presidential election. Attempts have been made to purchase, intimidate and silence the Kyiv Post, but none has succeeded.
The newspaper also plays an important role as a general interest newspaper in helping the English-language community navigate Ukraine by offering readers a mix of political, economic and entertainment coverage.
The weekly newspaper also
operates a constantly updated website that went online in 2002.
This year, a group of Kyiv
Post journalists also launched the
nonprofit Media Development Foundation to advance the profession
in Ukraine in three areas: investigative journalism, journalism internships and training programs for working professionals.
The foundation in June organized
an international conference on investigative journalism. Called Mezhyhirya
Fest, the event was held at the billion-dollar estate of Yanukovych to coincide
with the professional Journalism Day holiday on June 6. The first Ukrainian
“Pulitzer Prize” was awarded to TVi journalist Lyubomyr Ferenz for
his documentary on the January slayings of three EuroMaidan activists, at the
three day event.
More information can be found
on the Missouri School of Journalism’s website here
The press release announcing the Kyiv Post’s victory can be found here
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