How Al Jazeera’s opinions team paid tribute to a fallen colleague
The project won in the Best Commentary/Blogging category at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023.
The award recognizes the work in memory of Shireen Abu Akleh / Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera set out to celebrate the life of Shireen Abu Akleh through prose features.
The Brief
In remembrance of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh – who worked for the channel for 25 years – Al Jazeera’s AJE opinions team published several moving opinion pieces that celebrated her work and legacy. The idea was to both pay tribute to the woman herself, who was killed while covering a raid by the Israel Defense Forces, as well as her work, ensuring that many of the topics she covered were explored.
The Idea
Al Jazeera’s opinions section has continued her legacy by investigating the nature of her death. Andrew Mitrovica’s article, Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing: Lies, investigations and videotape, uncovers the tactics employed to obscure the truth surrounding Shireen’s tragic demise. Additionally, Shireen’s niece, Lina, authored an emotional piece, We, Shireen Abu Akleh’s family, want a meeting with Joe Biden, calling for justice and accountability.
The outlet’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara penned an emotional column, Shireen: Voice of the voiceless victims silenced, reflecting on Shireen’s influential voice in shedding light on marginalized perspectives. Additionally, Jalal Abukhater wrote an op-ed exploring Shireen’s iconic status, titled Shireen Abu Akleh: Today, all Palestinians are mourning.
These pieces aimed to ensure that Shireen’s contributions to journalism and her dedication to amplifying the voices of the oppressed would not be forgotten.
The Results
Despite the profound loss experienced, Al Jazeera’s opinions section remained committed to its mission of speaking truth to power. It addressed the flawed migration policies of the UK government in Priyamvada Gopal’s article, Forget Nazis, Britain’s cruel refugee plan mimics its own history, shedding light on the inhumane treatment of refugees.
Furthermore, Belen Fernandez’s piece, Trump and I can agree: The US is a ’third-world country’, scrutinized racist rhetoric prevalent in the United States.
This campaign won commercial campaign of the year at The Drum Awards for Media 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.