Today we should have been at the @OWMawards drinking free wine, but instead we’ll be tuning in online at 1pm. Whilst I’m gonna miss the wine, I want to share some thoughts about why I think online ceremonies can be an inclusive & progressive way forward #OWMAwards2020

In the midst of #blacklivesmatter , there have been a lot of conversations about who gets to tell which stories, who we give a platform to, and who takes the credit.

Awards are very much part of this package - they help to legitimise your work and open doors. They are a visible moment when storytellers and journalists can be seen and celebrated.

With women, non-white, working class storytellers under-represented in so many awards, I did briefly consider whether I should be in the running for this award at all.

However, @OnOurRadar's method is all about promoting, training, collaborating with people from marginalised groups and is in line with the good work @onewm do to promote diversity in journalism.

On Our Radar don’t just work with people as ‘sources’ or ‘fixers’, we train and mentor people & work with them as collaborators, co-producers, directors. They get paid and credited as such & are at the centre of our work.

(see our toolkit to learn more https://onourradar.org/toolkit/ )

However, awards are often where I’ve sometimes fallen a bit short of the values we set out when we wrote our manifesto: https://medium.com/@onourradar/shifting-the-power-d9a19428dbb1

Why? Award ceremonies tend to be in London and the communities we work with tend not to be. They can be good fun, so I go along looking forward to the wine, a fun evening with peers and an opportunity to build new connections.

It's very complex and costly to fly Abdul in for an award ceremony, but with the awards shifting online this year, we were able to open up a platform for Abdul to speak and give the 'nominee speech'.

Abdul has been coordinating our network of reporters in Sierra Leone. He found the story, produced the film & secured access to the hospital.

(you can watch the film online here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-48403771/working-the-night-shift-on-malaria-s-frontline-in-sierra-leone)

Abdul is the best placed to discuss the devastating impact malaria still has on Sierra Leoneans and why he feels it’s important that we keep telling that story.

So as Covid disrupts yet another thing, there is a silver lining in the way that online engagement has reduced some distance between us. Whilst it’s by no means a leveller, it has given us an opportunity to think about which new voices we give a platform to at this type of event.

End of thread - very best of luck to all nominees!