KUALA LUMPUR: The New Straits Times Press won a total of 12 awards at the MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2021 last night.
Five of the awards went to the New Straits Times, six to Harian Metro and one to Berita Harian.
The NST won three silver awards in the best columnist, best photo and best front page design categories, as well as two bronze awards in the best feature and best infographic categories.
NST graphic artist Ahmad Suhairy Shuib won a silver award for best front page design and a bronze award for best infographics on Long Covid and Post Covid-19 Syndrome.
Photographer Mohd Aizuddin Akmal Saad took home silver in the best photo category, leaving with RM1,500 cash and a certificate.
NST executive editor, production, David Christy won a silver award for best columnist for his articles titled Diabetes; MCO-like measures: It's scary lah; Will Malaysia ever get to Mars? And beyond?; Covid-19 misadventure in a mamak restaurant; Are Malaysians asset-rich but cash-poor?; and Dementia in the family: the fires of sorrow.
Feature writer Elena Simala Koshy won the bronze award for best feature article involving three of her reports titled My Father's Keeper, Singing From The Shadows and Beacon In The Dark.
When met, Elena expressed her delight on the win, saying she was glad that her stories, which highlighted ordinary Malaysians in extraordinary circumstances, were recognised by the MPI Awards.
"That's what NST's Sunday Vibes is all about. We write about ordinary Malaysians going through an extraordinary situation or performing extraordinary actions in helping others.
"I am blessed to have found the people I interviewed and I am glad that I get to highlight their stories to a national audience.
"Although the article carries my byline, this win involved many people who worked hard behind the scenes such as my editors, sub-editors, graphic designers and many others. This is a win for all of them," she said.
Berita Harian scored a gold for the A Samad Ismail Young Journalist Award with its reporter Ahmad Suhael Adnan bagging RM5,000 for his reports on Covid-19.
Harian Metro on the other hand won two gold awards for best news report and best infographic categories, as well as the silver award for the same category.
The daily also won three bronze awards for best investigative journalism, best columnist and best front page design categories.
Former Media Prima Bhd chairman and New Straits Times columnist Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar earlier in his speech pointed out the struggles all mainstream media are facing with the emergence of social media platforms which is affecting the revenue in journalism industry.
"Like it or not, the mainstream and social media must coexist. As long as journalists continue to stick to the journalism principles and ethics, we will still have tomorrow despite the existence of social media platforms.
"Sometimes as journalists, we tend to forget that we can effect changes through our writings and sometimes, we may be complicit in some scandals or any wrongdoings.
"This is why freedom of the press is important to ensure democracy would flourish in a country and I believe it was good journalism that caused 1MDB to be highlighted at the international level," he said.
The MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2021 was held at Shangri La Hotel, here last night.
Petronas has been the major sponsor of the awards since 1994.