WFSJ mentor wins the Earth Journalism Award

Raghida Haddad during the face to face meeting in Doha, Qatar, February 2008

Raghida Haddad, executive editor of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine and mentor with the WFSJ peer-to-peer program, was among the winners of the Earth Journalism Award. She wrote a series of articles about climate change, that culminated following her journey to the Artic in summer 2008, supported by WFSJ, where she navigated for two weeks aboard the Amundsen research icebreaker. She was the first Arab journalist to go this far north and witness ice meltdown, global warming and the research conducted by the team of 50 international scientists onboard. She relayed her experience to readers in the cover story of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia September 2008 issue, which was republished by many Arab and international magazines and newspapers. She will receive her award at a high-level ceremony during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change that will be held 7-18 December.

The Earth Journalism Awards were established in 2009 by Internews, the global media assistance organization, in partnership with the World Bank, the government of Denmark hosting the climate change conference, MTV and and international organizations.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will co-host the Earth Journalism Awards ceremony in Copenhagen in December. He said: "If we are to have any hope of reversing the effects of climate change, then we have a monumental task of educating the six billion people on our planet about how climate change works and what they can do to help. The media is critical in this effort, since just one reporter has the ability to reach thousands, even millions of people. These awards help to expand and honor these vitally important efforts."