KARACHI: Asma Shirazi, host of DawnNews’ primetime show “Faisla Awam Ka”,  has been awarded the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism.

A statement by DawnNews said she is the first ever Pakistani to be given this honour.

Ms Shirazi is a respected and renowned journalist with over 14 years of experience as an electronic media reporter, covering multiple beats, including war zones and humanitarian crises.

Through her show on DawnNews, Asma Shirazi has engaged in groundbreaking journalism, and constantly strived to keep her viewers abreast of the full story.

The award stands as a testament to her professionalism and unwavering commitment to practising balanced and ethical journalism, the statement said.

The Peter Mackler Award is given annually to a single journalist who is seen to have demonstrated a commitment to fairness, accuracy, and a matching commitment to asserting the freedom of the media. The PMA Board of Advisers includes noted journalists and editors, including Rebecca Blumenstein, Wall Street Journal’s Deputy Editor in Chief; Jay Branegan, Former Foreign Correspondent, Time Magazine, former staff member of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Christophe Deloire, director-general, Reporters Without Borders.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014