Rules for Selection of Best Journalists of 2016

The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) and the Committee for Press Freedom are presenting the Rules for selection of the Best Journalists of the Year, 22nd edition.
This year, the procedure of choosing the Best Journalists of the Year involves both a contest of journalistic materials and nomination by the Administration Council of the Independent Journalism Center. The top list will be made of journalists who, by their work in 2016, significantly contributed to strengthening independent, democratic and professional press in Moldova. The number of awards can vary depending on the journalists’ performance in 2016.
 
BEST JOURNALISTS OF THE YEAR 
 
Categories:
TV Journalism;
Radio Journalism;
Online Journalism;
Investigative Journalism;
Photojournalism;
Print Press;
Local Press; 
 
Special Awards:
Debut of the Year;
Evolution of the Year;
Hope of the Year;
For the Best Blog;
For the Best Media Campaign;
For Innovative Journalism (Media Innovation);
Excellence Award. 
 
Selection techniques and procedures  
In October 2016, the Independent Journalism Center will invite candidates to submit documents for the contest of their own materials, produced and published in the period of January-November 2016 and fitting into the above-mentioned categories. Journalists are encouraged to attach to their files materials that fall under such journalistic genres as: interview, report, news story, talk show, analysis, commentary, feature, documentary, show, investigation, etc. The submitted documents will be analyzed by the juries formed for the different awarding categories and by the members of the IJC Administration Council.
 
Nomination
Members of the IJC Administration Council will propose additional nominations in order to complete the list of candidates for awarding. Each member of the AC will nominate between 1 and 3 candidates (minimum 1 and maximum 3) for the categories of Best Journalist of the Year that gathered the least or no files.
 
Designation of winners
The juries and the AC will have several meetings in order to discuss candidates for Best Journalists of the Year. They will act based on their own experience, judgment and vision, as well as on the provisions of the Moldovan Journalist’s Code of Ethics and good local and international practice and experience. Candidates will be evaluated based on 5 evaluation criteria: professionalism, compliance with deontological norms, presence in the media space and impact on public opinion, risk assumed, and devotion to the profession. For each criterion, a separate score will be given (from 0 to 5), and the final list will be made in descending order based on the total score. The number of winners in a category is not limited to 1; in some categories, there may be several awardees, depending on the candidates’ performance.
 
Awardees will be determined by the majority of votes of the jury through consensus. If the jury has evidence that some of the nominated candidates do not meet the above conditions, those candidates will be excluded from the list. And if several candidates gather an equal score, the final decision on the number and names of winners will be made by the IJC Administration Council.
 
Awarding
Awards will be presented to winners in December 2016 at the Annual Press Club Gala. The main goal of this action is to support and encourage journalists in the effort of making quality press by adhering to international professional standards.
 
For details, please contact the Training and Communication Department of the IJC. Telephone: 022 21 36 52.