Mail & Guardian reporter
Mail & Guardian assistant editor Belinda Beresford has been named overall winner of the United States South Africa Health Reporting Awards.
Beresford was selected for her piece on HIV/Aids entitled “None so blind as those who will not see”, one of several submitted. The panel of judges, comprising journalists and US embassy representatives, noted that “her reports were insightful, well-written and thoroughly researched”.
In her acceptance speech, Beresford dedicated the award to “all the people living with HIV/Aids, and that means all of us”.
Beresford also won in the print category for publications with a circulation under 50 000. Other category winners include: Mia Malan of SABC-TV News for television coverage, Ruel Ndwambi, a contributor to the South African Community Radio Information Network, for community radio coverage, and Kerry Cullinan, Health-E News Service, for coverage in a publication with a circulation over 50 000 in this case, an article published in the Cape Times.
The awards are sponsored by the United States South Africa Leadership Development Programme, the US embassy and the Pretoria Press Club. This year’s awards focused on the HIV/Aids pandemic with the intention of recognising reporters for their coverage of public health issues and the role they play in reinforcing that education and awareness is the key to curbing the spread of HIV/Aids.
Beresford wins a cash prize as do all category winners and a two-week all-expenses paid trip to the United States. Her visit will focus on HIV/Aids and the media and will include meetings with journalists who report on HIV/Aids as well as visits to clinics and NGOs to obtain an understanding of how the pandemic is handled in the US.
She is currently editing a science and technology magazine, Sci2Tech, which will focus on science and technological developments in Southern Africa. The first issue is due out in September.