Bisan Owda and AJ+ win Peabody Award for Gaza war coverage

Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda and AJ+ have won a Peabody Award for coverage of the devastating impact Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip has had on Palestinians in the besieged enclave. “Reporting from her makeshift tent outside the medical center, she shows what survival looks like for her and the masses around her, drawing on her indomitable spirit to keep the world informed of the day-to-day reality on the ground in Gaza,” the Peabody board of jurors said in a statement announcing the award winners. “Thank you so much for this award and for always supporting us, standing by us, and for continuing to do so until we reach our demands: an end to the genocide, a ceasefire, and a free Palestine.” Tony Karon, the editorial lead at AJ+, said, “Bisan’s heroic storytelling exemplifies the spirit of AJ+ and the wider Al Jazeera network, of which we are a part.” “We strive to tell the human story from where the missiles land, to elevate the human spirit and the hope that it brings for better days, to shine a light on places and stories those in power would rather keep shrouded in darkness,” Karon said. We are honoured and humbled to have her work grace our platform.” AJ+ won a Peabody Award last year for One Day In Hebron, a report by Senior Presenter Dena Takruri on the discrimination that Palestinians face in her father’s hometown in the occupied West Bank.