Moroccan News Agency (MAP) won the 2024 Arab Media Excellence Award in the “Best Column” category on May 29, 2024, during the eighth edition, held on the sidelines of the 54th session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers.
MAP stood out with the story “I’ll call it Houcine: Story of a life saved in the womb of a survivor” by its author Mohamed Aswab.
The article tells the story of Lakbira, a resident of the Assaiss village (nearly 96 km from Taroudant), survivor of the Al Haouz earthquake who was brought home safe and sound, still carrying a living fetus in her womb.
It describes the tenacity of this woman, from the rescue attempts to her transfer to the field surgical hospital set up by the Royal Armed Forces in the municipality of Tafingoult, where she underwent an ultrasound that revealed that the fetus, a seven-month-old male, was in good health, which she later named Houcine.
The story also highlights the efforts made by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, the Interior Ministry, the Royal Armed Forces, the Auxiliary Forces, Civil Protection, the Royal Gendarmerie and the rescue and health services to help the victims of this earthquake, which shook the region on September 8, 2023.
For its part, the National Broadcasting and Television Company (SNRT) won the Arab Media Excellence Award in the category of “Best radio investigation”, with the story of a child who lost his sheep and shelter, following the Al Haouz earthquake.
The Arab Media Excellence Award, in its eighth edition, was organized this year under the theme “Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Media”.
The award’s Secretariat General received over 100 entries spanning television, radio, newspaper, and digital media works. There were 48 entries in the television category, 24 in radio, 7 in written journalism, and 9 in digital media. Additionally, 3 individuals and institutions were nominated for honours.
Launched in 2015 by the Council of Arab Information Ministers, the award aims to foster creativity, innovation, and media excellence. It targets government and accredited media institutions, Arab organizations, federations with observer status within the Arab League, and leading media personalities.
The Award seeks to spotlight distinguished media models in the Arab world and provide quality media content that benefits Arab society and serves its causes.
