ZNBC journalist Paul Shalala has won an international inaugural Jamal Khashoggi award for courageous journalism.

And ZNBC has congratulated Shalala for his achievement.

Shalala and four other journalists from America, Pakistan and United Kingdom won the awards that were introduced by a Texas-based NGO called the Inti Raymi Fund.

In a statement, ZNBC corporate affairs manager Yvette Chanda stated that Shalala has received the recognition for a series of stories he covered on the youth criminal gangs on the Copperbelt Province.

“Mr Shalala is one of the five recipients of the award that was introduced by Texas-based Non-Governmental Organization-the Inti Raymi Fund after Saudi journalist was killed in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkey. Mr Shalala has received the recognition for a series of stories he covered on the youth criminal gangs on the Copperbelt, among them, the Tokota Boys; 70 Niggas; The Hundreds, and Mbwambwambwa. The other four recipients have been drawn from Nigeria, United States of America, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. And the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation has congratulated Mr Shalala for the award,” Chanda stated.

And Northern Region Media Club (NORMEC) secretary Clinton Masumba stated that it was elating to learn about Shalala’s achievement and further called for serious dedication to the profession.

“The Media Club is elated that Shalala, is not only among the five winners, but also the only Zambian awarded among other brave journalists who expose abuse of power and corruption; share difficult truths and work in hostile environments. We wish to encourage other journalists to continue working hard and remain professional in their daily work activities. NORMEC is hopeful that Shalala’s progression in winning global awards will motivate other journalists to enter such competitions as well as continue working hard to bring out issues affecting communities. The award that seeks to promote investigative journalism across the world is named after Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist who was murdered in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul on October 2, 2018,” Masumba stated.

Meanwhile, Chipata Press Club president Oswald Yambani stated that it was encouraging to see the work of Zambian journalists being recognized by international bodies and called for global competition among journalists.

“It is encouraging to see a journalist raise the Zambian flag high! We feel proud and encouraged that Zambian works are recognized by international bodies, which should encourage more journalists in the country to be participating in global competitions. We further want to take this opportunity to ask government to be recognizing courageous Zambian journalists that have been winning international awards in a special way so as to encourage others to raise the Zambian flag even higher. The award seeks to promote investigative journalism across the world,” stated Yambani.