The Trojan Horse Affair Podcast won the Best Investigation honour at the 10th Asian Media Awards.
The Investigation by Hamza Syed and Brian Reed for The Serial and New York Times aimed to shed light on an elaborate plot by ‘Islamic extremists’ to infiltrate schools in Birmingham.
The 2022 awards celebrated the achievements of journalists, broadcasters and leading creative industry professionals.
The ceremony hosted by Sky Sports News presenter Bela Shah saw special awards for LBC News host Lisa Aziz, BBC 5Live broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake and acclaimed TV and stage actor Kulvinder Ghir of Goodness Gracious Me fame.
The awards honoured journalism, online, radio, TV, creative media, stage, theatre and live events in 23 categories and was back at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate where the first awards took place in 2013.
The University of Salford are the Premier Partners for the awards which aim to shine a light on the accomplishments of media professionals from across the UK.
The award winner was announced by journalist and AMA panel member Shamim Chowdhury.
In an acceptance speech Hamza said: “I recount at the top of the series how my journalism professor wasn’t completely sold on the idea of me investigating the Trojan Horse Affair.
“I used to follow that with an exchange where I suggested to my professor that it was worthwhile ME looking at the Trojan Horse, because I wasn’t sure that anyone at the time who’d investigated the affair… Was brown. And I thought that that would make a difference.
“Thank you for acknowledging that it did. Our presence in British media matters.
“It can help change the entire understanding of events in this country; there’s a brown in number ten, which whether you’re celebrating that or not, the cultural impact of our work contributed to making that moment happen – I’m still waiting for Rishi to thank me for it!
“I celebrate this recognition with all the nominees and winners at tonight’s Asian Media Awards. “
The investigation explored the events surrounding a letter which appeared on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham laying out an elaborate plot by ‘Islamic extremists’ to infiltrate the city’s schools. The plot had a code name – Operation Trojan Horse.
The story soon became national news and led to national panic and paranoia in parts of the media. In this eight-part podcast series Hamza Syed and Brian Reed set out to find out who wrote the letter, and why? Their shocking revelations would reveal that the letter was fake and senior leadership teams and politicians may have been aware of the questionable source and claims made in the letter.
The series explores why despite this, did sections of the media and those tasked with find out the truth, chose to look the other way.
The 2022 Asian Media Awards winners of all categories and special awards were revealed at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Friday October 28.
Previous recipients of an Asian Media Award include Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Waris Hussein, Art Malik, Mehdi Hasan, Nina Wadia, Anita Rani, Shobna Gulati, Faisal Islam & Adil Ray.
The University of Salford are Premier Partners to the Asian Media Awards.
Partners to the awards include ITV, MediaCom, Reach PLC, Manchester Evening News & TheBusinessDesk.com.
The awards are also supported by Manchester Metropolitan University, AMT Lawyers, DKR Accountants, 6G Internet, Hilton Manchester Deansgate, Fritz AV, Payal Events & Cleartwo.
