The highly coveted MMU Journalist of the Year category features five broadcasters, writers, producers and reporters.
Faisal Islam – Political Editor, Sky News
Faisal Islam is one of the country’s leading political journalists and broadcasters. He has led the broadcasters’ around-the-clock coverage during the past four years of political upheaval. He chaired the first live head-to-head debate between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 General Election. The past 12 months have seen Faisal break a relentless series of stories on the progress, or lack thereof, of Brexit talks. Using his knowledge and contacts in Number 10, Cabinet, the opposition party, Parliament, Whitehall, business, central banks, Brussels and across European capitals, Faisal has broken countless stories that have been used extensively by other media outlets – many on front pages of newspapers. In March, Faisal obtained the single most significant Brexit document leak from within Cabinet during the past year. His ‘Brexit Forensics’ series revealed the impact of some of the political choices of Brexit around the country.
Kalpana Fitzpatrick – Finance Editor, Hearst UK
Kalpana works across some of the leading glossy titles in the UK including Good Housekeeping, Red, Cosmopolitan, Country Living and Harper’s Bazaar. She is the company’s first finance editor and had the editorial lead of a new initiative called ‘Financially Fabulous’ that aims to boost financial independence and confidence for women. Through subjects ranging from investing and pensions to everyday budgeting she strives to enable all women to stand on their own two feet financially. Kalpana’s articles tackle serious money issues that impact everyone including advice for parents and young people. Her work has been featured across print, video, events and a fortnightly newsletter. In September she launched the first ever money stream at Red magazine’s Smart Women Week. Outside of Hearst UK, she has appeared on BBC Asian Network as a money expert and has featured on the network’s Fabulous Women panel.
Ashish Joshi – Reporter & Broadcaster, Sky News
Ashish Joshi is an experienced broadcaster and journalist who has reported on some of the world’s biggest and moving news stories in the past 18 months. Sky News was one of the first international broadcasters to reach the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh to report on the plight of the Rohingya. Ashish and his team were there to witness the unfolding horror as tens of thousands of desperate Rohingya refugees struggled to make their way to safety. He devoted his considerable energy to repeatedly returning to the refugee camps in Bangladesh to document the enormous suffering being experienced by the floods of refugees streaming over the border. Over a period of many months Ashish produced a series of reports on the many challenges facing the fleeing Rohinyga. This work led him to receive the prestigious Amnesty International Award. He has also reported from some of the year’s breaking stories such as the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire where Ashish was presenting and reporting for many of the key hours.
Secunder Kermani – BBC’s Pakistan & Afghanistan Correspondent
Secunder has been at the forefront of covering events in the region for an international audience. He reported last year on the 70th anniversary of partition – securing a rare interview with a Pakistani man who had killed someone during the violence. Secunder covered the Pakistani elections, interviewing all the key leaders. His two documentaries – investigating the brutal lynching of a student accused of blasphemy, and the horrific treatment of child domestic workers have led to much debate in the country and beyond. He reported on the brutal murder of 6-year-old Zainab, managing to obtain police notes linking her killer to a series of other murders and assaults. Secunder has also reported from Afghanistan – covering the aftermath of some of the worst terrorist attacks the country has seen. He exclusively interviewed a jailed member of ISIS in the country as the group grows in influence there.
Anisa Subedar – Senior Producer, BBC
Anisa has initiated some of the biggest digital investigations for BBC News in the past 18 months. Her work has included exploring the sub culture of far right memes from America to France in an attempt to interfere with the elections, uncovering failings in YouTube’s report mechanism to protect young children from paedophiles and one month after Charlottesville and the death of Heather Heyer, Anisa went to UC Berkeley to report on how the alt right are visiting American universities to spread their message only to find the anti-fascist groups are there too. Anisa was also in Washington DC on the day of the biggest gun control protests of a generation took place. At the end of 2017 explored what the #Metoo debate had achieved and then recently revisited the issue as she chaired a studio discussion with three guests to look at whether the movement had united or divided women.
Winners and recipients of AMA special awards will be announced at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Thursday 25 October.
Previous recipients of an Asian Media Award include Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Waris Hussein, Art Malik, Mehdi Hasan, Nina Wadia and Anita Rani.
The University of Salford are premier sponsors and partners to the event include ITV, MediaCom, M.E.N, Press Association Training, Primesight & The Palace Theatre & Opera House.
The official Charity Partner for 2018 is CLIC Sargent.
The event is also supported by Manchester Metropolitan University, Routes Into Languages, Namey, AMT Lawyers, USI Money, Hilton Manchester Deansgate, Supreme Dream Events, Payal Events & Cleartwo.
