Two
reporters from The Point Newspaper have bagged prestigious accolades at the 2nd
edition of The Gambia Press Union National Journalism Awards held on Friday 5
May 2017.
Adam
Jobe and Halimatou Ceesay were nominated for the best reporting in politics and
lifestyle respectively which they subsequently won.
The
duo are both columnists at The Point Newspaper. Adam Jobe is a Home Affairs
Columnist while Halimatou Ceesay is a Columnist for the popular She-She-She
section on women’s affairs.
For
her part, Halimatou Ceesay, expressed her delight and honour to have won the
award.
‘’I
am happy that I became the winner out of three nominees. It is an honour to win
the lifestyle award for an article that is my favourite. The ‘Mandinka
traditional wedding’ is something I have always been curious about because it
is only those that go through it who know about it,’’ she said
Halimatou
revealed that the story, which required a lot of sacrifice and research, was
one of her biggest breakthroughs which she never thought would win her an
award.
‘’Pursuing
the story was my biggest breakthrough and little did I know that it would win
an award and for that I am grateful,’’ she said. She added that she was also
happy that the majority of winners were female which shows that female journalists
are doing wonders in the media.
Halimatou
dedicated the award to her family and the entire readership of her popular
column, SHE-SHE-SHE.
“I
dedicate the award to my family, friends, loved ones and most especially my
grandma who granted me the interview and also the bride who is my brother’s
wife as well as the SHE SHE SHE column readership,” she said, while thanking
The Point newspaper management and the editorial team for their support to her.
For
her part, Adam Jobe said she didn’t expect to bag the award considering its
tightness.
‘’Well,
to be honest I did not see it coming because the competition was very tight,
but Alhamdulillah I was able to make it to the shortlist and finally emerged to
be winner,’’ she said.
She
expressed gratitude to The Point Newspaper management and her “able editors for
providing the enabling environment” for her to practise her passion and
profession in the most conducive manner.
‘’I
wouldn’t do justice without thanking The Point Newspaper for creating the
atmosphere. My sincere and heartfelt thanks also go to the wonderful people of
the GPU School of journalism and co-trainers who provided me with support,
guidance and precious life lessons for me to be the Adam I am today,” she said.
Adam
expressed delight at winning the award, saying it was a clear testament of her
good decision to join the field back then when there were many doubts and
challenges.
“Thank
you for being with me through all the difficult times; your support and
understanding gave me the strength to continue fighting. I am sincerely
grateful to God for giving me such a loving family and friends. I feel blessed
and thankful for all the motivation and encouragement I have received and still
receiving,” she said.
Mr
Pap Saine, Co-Publisher of The Point Newspaper, congratulated the duo for their
hard work and commitment in the journalism profession.
‘’Adam
and Halimatou have a bright future ahead because of their high level of
commitment,’’ he said.
The
Editor-In-Chief of The Point Newspaper, Mr Ousman Kargbo encouraged Halimatou
and Adam and by extension, all her reporters to continue the hard work and
maintain the momentum. He said he had four of his reporters nominated for the
final prizes and two emerged winners.
‘’The
awards speak well of them, but it also poses a challenge for them. That is to
maintain the standard and even do better in such competitions. This can only be
attained by reading widely, doing more research and writing incisively,” he
said.
