Iran’s English-language news channel, Press TV, has won awards at the annual IRIB World Service news awards, dubbed the "Sobh Media Festival."
The news channel received the 'Best Website' award, as well as the 'Best Social Media' and 'Best Motion Graphic' awards at the event on Tuesday.
A special award was also presented to Israa El-Buhaisi, the Gaza correspondent for Iran's Al Alam Arabic-language television news network.
Among other winners at the festival was Marwa Osman's show 'Expose,' which won the 'Best TV Magazine Show' award.
She dedicated her award to the six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was brutally murdered by the Israeli regime in late January.
"To Hind and to every rising child angel in all of Palestine murdered at the hands of the enemy of humanity, the Zionist Israelis, I promise to always make it my duty to tell your stories and expose your killers until justice is served... or else we die trying."
Despite the pain, @Sobh_festival turned the event into a commemoration of the life of martyr President Ibrahim Raisi.
— Marwa Osman || مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) May 21, 2024
I was honored to have my shows @MIDEASTREAM1 nominated for the #Palestine special category and @ExposePTV nominated for best television magazine show award.… pic.twitter.com/PbYL1u3dAE
The international media event was held from May 18–20 with the motto of "Media and the New World Order."
In the prestigious festival, local and international artists competed in categories such as movies, TV series, documentaries, TV programs, radio programs, podcasts, music videos, motion graphics, animations, short films, and feature stories.
Gaza genocide overshadowed ceremony
IRIB World Service chief Ahmad Noroozi addressed the ceremony, stating that the event could have been a big celebration, but they decided to hold a muted ceremony in light of the prolonged Israeli genocide in Gaza.
"The second edition of the Sobh International Media Festival could have been a big celebration, but while precious lives of defenseless women, men, and children in Palestine—from Gaza to the West Bank—are being subjected to atrocious crimes by the Zionist regime... any such celebration would amount to great injustice."
He mentioned that the second edition of the festival featured a special section on Palestine to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people and the "blatant tyranny" they have been suffering for 76 years.
The IRIB chief, Peyman Jebelli, also delivered a keynote speech at the ceremony, in which he commended the efforts of the IRIB World Service under the leadership of Norouzi and congratulated all the award winners.
He noted that the late president Ebrahim Raeisi was expected to attend this year's Sobh International Media Festival and all preparations had been made for it, but his martyrdom canceled those plans.