KTN’s Timothy Otieno among Nominees for the Thompson Foundation Young Journalist Award (Full List)

The list of nominees for the 2020 Thompson Foundation Young Journalist Award is out and KTN Journalist Timothy Otieno is among those nominated.

Otieno earned the nomination following his incredible coverage on streets kids during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

An excited Otieno shared the good news of being shortlisted among other able Journalists around the world, to battle for the prestigious award.

“So happy and honoured to have my journalism work recognized by the UK Foreign Press Association! I’m extremely humbled to be shortlisted for this years’ Thompson Foundation Young Journalist Award,” tweet Timothy Otieno.

KTN Journalist Timothy Otieno KTN Journalist Timothy Otieno Pulse Live Kenya

Thomson Foundation Award

The annual Thomson Foundation award that is supported by the UK Foreign Press Association received 200 entries from 55 countries where they selected 12 journalists to battle for the Award.

A short description of Otieno’s work by the UK Foreign Press Association reads;

“As the Covid-19 pandemic takes hold across the globe, Kenyan journalist, Timothy Otieno, reports on how lockdowns imperil street children. Few groups are as vulnerable as the children who rely on the streets for food, water and shelter but coronavirus curfews and the closure of eateries and drop-in centres have made access even more precarious. They are also more likely to be caught up in outbreaks in slums, where social distancing and good hygiene are difficult to observe. Just 24 hours after Timothy’s story aired, a presidential directive was issued by Kenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the street families featured in the report were taken to a government rescue facility”.

Journalism Now

All shortlisted entrants will receive a certificate from Thomson Foundation commending them on the high standard of their work, and will have the opportunity to participate in the foundation’s digital learning platform, Journalism Now.

The three Young Journalist finalists will be announced in October and the overall winner will be decided by external judges; British Investigative Journalist, Seyi Rhodes, contributing editor of the Financial Times, John Lloyd, and former editor of the BBC Today programme, Sarah Sands.

The winner will be announced in November.