Ghanaian Catholic Journalist Wins International Award In Excellence In Journalism

Mr. Damian Avevor, the News Editor of The Catholic Standard, the only Catholic national Weekly in Ghana, has been adjudged one of the winners of the International Journalism and Media Awards, 2016 in the category of Excellence in Journalism.

Mr. Avevor won the same Award from the Geneva based International Christian Organisation of the Media (ICOM) in 2013 during which he was conferred with the prestigious Award in Panama City in the Central America.

For the second time, he was the only Ghanaian Journalist among 30 winners of the Awards in eight categories chosen from over 2,000 competitors from all over the world.

The award was announced on June 22 by ICOM in Switzerland and copied by emailed to all the contestants.

In a congratulatory letter from Jean-Marie Scheerlinck on behalf of the Directing Committee, it stated that ” Dear Damian Avevor, Congratulations! We are happy to announce that you have won International Award for Excellence in Journalism 2016.”

This Award had been won by some Ghanaian Journalists in the past. It was won in 2001 and 2004 by Dr. Africanus Diedong, currently a Lecturer at the University of Development Studies (UDS), Wa Campus; 2004 and 2007 by Anas Aremeyaw Anas of the Crusading Guide; 1992 and 1995 by Samuel Sarpong; 1998 by Vincent Azumah and 1989 by Mr. Paul Krampah.

The International Awards for Excellence in Journalism won by Mr. Avevor and thirteen other Journalists from Argentina, Austria., Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, united kingdom and USA, honours outstanding Journalists and other Media Professionals from all domains and a good proportion are reserved for young media professionals.

Other categories of winners were Freedom of Expression, Women Issues, Inter-Religious Initiatives, Excellence in Communication; Solidarity with Refugees, Photo Journalism, Promoting Dialogue (Titus Brandsma) and Cardinal Foley Awards.

Mr. Avevor entered the competition in the Excellence in Journalism Category with two feature articles on “ADVENTURE IN PANAMA, THE SINGAPORE OF AMERICA”, published on ModernGhana.com, an Internet Portal in Ghana and New City Magazine in Philippines.

The second article was on “NELSON MANDELA, GREAT SON OF AFRICA” also published in New City Magazine in Philippines. He also submitted a news story for the same category with the headline “EBOLA THREAT CAUSES GHANAIAN BISHOPS TO URGE DELAY OF SOCCER TOURNAMENT,” published on the website of Catholic News Service (CNS) in the USA.

The two major criteria for determining the Award Winners were content value and journalistic presentation in their works they presented.

The Awards
The Award, from the Geneva-based International Christian Organization of the Media (ICOM), a forum for professionals and institutions in Secular and Religious Journalism, will be awarded to the winners at the organization's World Congress in Tagaytay City, Philippines from October 9 to 12, 2016.

The triennial awards honour outstanding media professionals, publications and institutions worldwide, and recognize their exemplary contributions irrespective of all differences.

The international awards enhance and make journalistic and media works more valuable in diverse fields, and acknowledge the efforts of all participating journalists and media professionals as well as their milieu.

They help guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the media at all levels in spite of all types of pressures especially from political, business and religious leaders and authorities.

The Awards are recognition for lifetime and reference for professionals to consult issues that concern nations, continents and our world. They reconfirm the competence and consolidate the authority of the winners on their domains and topics that are of major relevance and extreme importance in the world affairs.

The World Congress is organized under the auspices and with the collaboration of National Council of Journalism, National College of Journalists, Union of Panamanian Journalists and other national and Central American entities.

It is a meeting point for internationally minded women and men to get together once in three years and analyze developments in today's world from journalistic and media perspectives.

Professional expertise
Mr. Avevor is Ghanaian Journalist with an international reputation who has worked with various local and foreign media organizations, both print and electronic since 1998 on full, part time and freelance basis.

He joined The Catholic Standard, the only Catholic National Weekly in Ghana, as an Intern in 2000 and became a full time Reporter in 2003 after his National Service at Donkorkrom in the Afram Plains.

By dint of hard work, he was promoted to Senior and Chief Reporter in 2006 and 2009 respectively and appointed the first News Editor of The Catholic Standard in 2010.

He also contributes stories to the Catholic News Service in America; the Catholic News Agency for Africa (CANAA) in Kenya; Catholic Information Service of Africa (CISA) in Kenya and the New People Magazine, an international Catholic Magazine of missionary awareness published in Kenya but distributed in selected African countries including Ghana.

Mr. Avevor has written numerous articles on topical issues which had been published in the Ghanaian and international media including the internet. Notable among them are HIV and AIDS, Expensive funerals, Human trafficking, Child Labour, Disability, Women Empowerment, Street Children.

He is an alumna of the International Institute for Journalism (IIJ) in Berlin, Institute of Commercial Management in UK, Alison Advanced Learning Systems Online Institute in Ireland, Ghana Institute of Journalism and the Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana.

He has Diploma Certificates in Journalism, Newspaper Reporting, and Business Management and Administration (BMA), Psychology, English and Literature, Project Management, and Business Management and Entrepreneur.

He also holds Certificates in Writing Skills, English, Media Ethics, HIV/AIDS Reporting, Health Reporting and Online Journalism.

He is a member of the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners, Ghana (CAMP-G), Ghana Journalists' Association (GJA), the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana (IPR) and League of HIV/AIDS Reporters.