Atex supports The Martin Adler Prize and awards freelance cameraman Mike Saburi

During the annual Rory Peck Awards, Atex had the honour to be sponsor of the important Martin Adler Prize, devoted to freelance news gatherers that risk their everyday life to tell stories, this year the prize went to Mike Saburi, a Zimbabwean freelance cameraman

During the 2008 Rory Peck Awards, the annual event which celebrates the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in newsgathering, Atex, the world’s largest provider of mission-critical software solutions and services to the global media industry, had the honour to sponsor The Martin Adler Prize, devoted to those freelance journalists that everyday play a vital part in telling a significant news story.

John Hawkins, Atex Chief Executive Officer, says: “Our job is to support media companies in bringing news to the world. Our decision to support the efforts of The Rory Peck Trust is in recognition of the important role that we feel freelancers play in supporting our industry.”

The winner of this important prize, this year, was Mike Saburi, a Zimbabwean freelance cameraman who has been covering a regime where journalists have been targeted with permanent surveillance, threats and attacks. The Committee to Protect Journalists lists Zimbabwe among the ten worst countries for hostility to the media. The journalists who are left in Zimbabwe are brave and dedicated. They take risks daily — risks that their families must share. The trustees chose to honour this year's recipient of the Martin Adler Prize for his commitment to telling the story he lives each day.

Mike Saburi was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He graduated from covering press conferences to shooting some of the iconic images of the farm invasions. This past year he has been on the campaign trail and uncovered some of the dramatic effects of the economic crisis. Mike Saburi’s continued presence in Zimbabwe has allowed agencies and international broadcasters to continue to tell the story of country in crisis.

Saburi writes: "Zimbabwe’s media space has become increasingly small and the daily dangers of working in the country are worsened when you leave the relative safety of the capital to cover news in the countryside. With all the election candidates campaigning outside Harare, I have always had to watch over my shoulder for any possible dangers…working in Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly difficult."

About The Martin Adler Prize:

The Martin Adler Prize honours a freelancer who has told, or played a vital part in telling a significant news story. The Prize is intended to raise awareness of the value of the recipient’s work and help them to progress their career. The recipient may be a freelance cameraman or camerawoman, or the person who they have depended upon in the field; for example, a fixer, driver or freelance local reporter. Swedish freelance journalist and cameraman Martin Adler was murdered while filming in Somalia in 2006. Martin had regularly entered The Rory Peck Awards since they began in 1995 and won the Rory Peck Awards for Hard News in 2004. The Trust inaugurated this Prize in recognition of his great talent as a journalist, filmmaker and storyteller. Martin was a humanitarian who fully recognized the role of the local journalists and fixers who helped his work throughout his career.

About The Rory Peck Trust

The Rory Peck Trust, established in 1995, exists to support freelance news gatherers and their families worldwide in times of need, and to promote their welfare and safety. The Trust provides financial support to freelancers and to the families of those who are killed, seriously injured or suffering persecution as a result of their work. Now an internationally recognized organization, the Trust provides a unique source of assistance, and is widely respected for the role it plays in promoting good practice and the right of freelance news gatherers to do their work safely and in freedom. The Trust enjoys the active involvement and support of an international and influential committee of freelance news gatherers, journalists’ organisations and broadcasters including ABC News, Aljazeera, APTN, ARD, BBC, BSkyB, CBC, CBS, Channel 4 TV, CNN, ITN, NBC, Reuters, RTE, WDR, ZDF.

The Trust is totally independent and relies on its income from sponsorship, grants and donations. For further details, www.rorypecktrust.org