Joining the ranks of some of the world's greatest journalists and newspapers, the Kyiv Post staff is among seven 2014 winners of the prestigious Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
The award has been given annually since 1930 by the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, one of the leading journalism educators in America.
Other winning organizations have included The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Other winning journalists have included American TV news anchors Walter Cronkite and Ted Koppel as well as Deborah Howell, a trailblazing editor and ombudsman.
The Kyiv Post, founded in 1995, is the first Ukrainian news organization to win in the 84-year history of the Missouri Honor Medal. Journalists and media organizations are honored for lifetime or superior achievement. The winners are chosen by the university’s faculty. The medal that will be given to the journalistic staff of the Kyiv Post is “for superior journalism throughout the publication’s history,” university officials said in announcing the award on June 23.
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner said that “the award for lifetime achievement makes the honor even sweeter. We owe a big debt of gratitude to all those who came before us at the Kyiv Post. Every journalist who has ever worked for the Kyiv Post since 1995 can claim a share of the credit. There are hundreds of writers and editors who should take a well-earned bow for their contributions to what the Kyiv Post has become: Ukraine’s global voice for news in the English language.”
The other six 2014 winners are:
· The Guardian, the 193-year-old newspaper based in London has one of the most-read websites in the world.
· WIRED magazine;
· Barney E. Calame, one of journalism’s most respected editors;
· Audie Cornish, co-host of the long-running, award-winning All Things Considered show on National Public Radio;
· Steve Kopcha, one of advertising’s most notable creative leaders; and
· Eugene Richards, a documentary photographer, filmmaker and writer.
In the last year, the Kyiv Post has distinguished itself for coverage of the EuroMaidan Revolution that began on Nov. 21 and ousted President Viktor Yanukovych on Feb. 22. The staff also covered the Russian military invasion and subsequent annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March and the Kremlin-fueled separatist war in Ukraine’s eastern regions that started in April and continues today, claiming more than 400 lives, by the United Nations’ estimates.
The staff-written exclusive articles and opinions have propelled online readership to record heights, with nearly 33 million page views in 2014 alone through June 23. Moscow-based AGT Communications Agency, during a six-month period from Nov. 21 to May 21, found that the Kyiv Post is the second most-quoted Ukrainian or Russian newspaper by Western media outlets.
The 2014 awards will be given during a ceremony at the University of Missouri campus on Oct. 28 at which the newspaper will be represented by Bonner and deputy chief editor Katya Gorchinskaya. The medalists will also present workshops on topics related to their areas of expertise to Missouri School of Journalism students and other guests.
“We’ve had an extremely challenging and difficult year, reflecting Ukraine’s revolution and war,” Bonner said. “Throughout these events, my colleagues have been fearless and relentless in providing coverage that helped the world to understand Ukraine’s complexities. We are an international, multilingual team that understands this nation well. The staff has excelled under trying and tragic circumstances that tested an entire nation. The events continue to challenge the international community.”
The Kyiv Post has been owned and published for the last five years by British citizen Mohammad Zahoor and, through its “Independence. Community. Trust” motto, has strived to become the most reliable source of English-language news about Ukraine. The founding owner is American Jed Sunden, who sold the newspaper to Zahoor on July 28, 2009.
The Kyiv Post’s editorial staff currently numbers 19 people, including the regional coordinators for the Objective investigative reporting project and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
This year, a group of Kyiv Post journalists also launched the nonprofit Media Development Foundation to advance the profession in Ukraine in three areas: investigative journalism, journalism internships and training programs for working professionals.
