GlobalPost series Myanmar Emerges wins World Media Summit journalism award

Boston, Mass. — GlobalPost announced that its multi-part series “Myanmar Emerges” has won the 2014 World Media Summit Global Award for Excellence in New Media Reporting.

The series, which was published between March and December of 2013, takes an in-depth and critical look at the fairy tale narrative of a reform movement in Myanmar with uncompromising reporting on how decades of oppression is today affecting the country’s economy and people.

GlobalPost’s Senior Correspondent for Southeast Asia Patrick Winn and videographer Jonah Kessel traveled throughout the formerly isolated country previously known as Burma and illuminated the complex nature of Myanmar’s reform efforts. The series included comprehensive written reports, photo slideshows and character-driven video reporting, including a 30-minute documentary film that portrays the country’s uneasy emergence.

“We are deeply honored to be one of only four media organizations in the world to be chosen as a winner of a World Media Summit Award,” said Philip S. Balboni, CEO and Founder of GlobalPost. “This wonderful recognition from WMS and Xinhua underscores the work we have done over the past six years since GlobalPost’s founding to be a truly global brand devoted to the best international reporting.”

"This award is a tremendous honor for all of us," said GlobalPost Editor Thomas Mucha. "We're humbled, and incredibly grateful, that the important journalism we do around the world is receiving this kind of recognition."

Myanmar Emerges has also been honored by the National Press Club, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the Hong Kong Journalists Association. The series in its entirety may be found here.

Honorable mentions in the new media category went to the Chicago Tribune, Russia Today, Al Jazeera and ProPublica.

The World Media Summit is a consortium of media organization dedicated to pooling resources and expertise to help news organizations during a time of tremendous flux in our industry. More than 450 news media organizations and 500 news professionals from 138 countries submitted more than 1,400 entries to the competition. For more information about the summit, please visit its website here.