Ahmed Naif, the Senior Associate Editor of Dhauru news, won the 2022 Journalist of the Year award. Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef presented the award to Naif at the Journalism Awards hosted by the Maldives Media Council (MMC).
MMC hosts the Journalism Awards every year to recognise and uphold the work of individuals who show excellence and make valuable contributions to the field of journalism. The objectives of the awards ceremony include encouraging Maldivian journalists by awarding them in a fair and equitable manner and recognising individuals in the field who work to uphold standards and maintain trust among journalists. This is the 10th year that MMC has hosted the Journalism Awards.
MMC received 63 nominations for the Journalism Awards 2022. The awards were opened to journalists in 12 of the news article and broadcasting categories. The fields included investigative journalism, the social sector, the legal and judicial sector, the business sector, and the sports sector. Awards were also given for the field of photojournalism, video journalism, graphics and illustrations, as well as for best feature, most promising journalist and journalist of the year.
However, no awards were given in the broadcasting categories due to the nominees receiving insufficient marks. In addition, no awards were given in the graphics and illustrations as no nominations were submitted for the category.
Three individuals were nominated for the journalist of the year award. They were awarded points based on the level of education and experience. Points were also awarded by a judges' panel and based on the number of votes received from the public. The nominees received over 35,000 votes via SMS.
Additionally, a commemorative plaque was presented to Saaid Ahmed to recognise his work in sports news journalism. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two experienced journalists, Abdulla Rameez and Ahmed Zahir (Hiriga).
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Latheef highlighted the power of journalism and urged journalists to fulfill their responsibilities to the fullest. He also said the government will pay special attention to the development of journalism, adding that the media will undergo a golden age during the administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
Also at the ceremony, President of MMC Ahmed Mustafa said that new categories will be added for next year's journalism awards. They will include the student journalism award, community news and special coverage awards.
Vice President Latheef unveiled the new MMC logo during the ceremony. Additionally, a moment of silence was observed to honour the journalists who lost their lives while covering the Israeli attacks on Palestine.