“Do not give up!”
But then I think about the people who don’t have a voice. And who I give a voice to with my stories. That’s why we critical journalists have to keep going.
Natalie Amiri, Dr. Karl Renner Solidarity Prize Winner 2024
The German-Iranian journalist Natalie Amiri said this yesterday evening at the “Dr. Karl Renner Solidarity Prize” as part of the gala night of the Austrian Journalists Club in Vienna. Because in view of the suffering and misery that the war and crisis reporter for Bavarian Radio often reports on, she often asks herself this question. “But then I think about the people who don’t have a voice. And who I give a voice to with my stories. That’s why we critical journalists have to keep going.”
For the 40th time, the Austrian Journalists Club has presented the “Dr. Karl Renner Prizes for exceptional achievements in journalism. In addition to the “Solidarity Prize” for committed reporting under the most difficult circumstances, there was also the “Dr. Karl Renner Journalism Prize”. A top-class jury, which also included ORF radio director Ingrid Thurnher, ranked the Middle East expert of the “Standard”, Gudrun Harrer, and the press war reporter, Wieland Schneider, in second place. The 2024 Rennerpreis winners were Elisabeth Pfneisl and Marlies Faulend from Holyscreen Media for their TV documentary series “The Talented Gentlemen” about corrupt people from Austrian politics and business.
“At a time when journalists are often denigrated by political parties and insulted as the ‘lying press’ and ‘system media’, appreciation and awards for outstanding journalistic work are not only appropriate, but also necessary,” says ÖJC President Christian Stöger . “To honor those who, through their work under the most difficult conditions, ensure the most balanced information possible for the population.”
Another highlight of the Renner Prize anniversary was an excerpt from Dr. Karl Renner’s New Year’s Day 1950, provided by the Austrian Media Library. The gala evening was musically accompanied by soprano Claudia Puhr and Sayoko Akimoto on the golden Bösendorfer grand piano and the choir of the Franz Schubert Conservatory Vienna, who ceremoniously ended the evening with the national and European anthems.
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Journalists Club (ÖJC)
Ing. Barbara Meister MA
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office@oejc.at
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