FiBROM Award: No Winner for Month of June

The Fides Best Reporter of the Month (FiBROM) Award for the month of June, 2021, failed to emerge after the Editor-in-Chief said no story met the benchmark, reports Ifeoma Ogbodo.

Disclosing this at the editorial meeting of Fides, last Monday, Mr Atupulazi, the Editor-in-Chief, however noted that two stories came close to winning the award but fell short of doing so because of the laid down rules concerning the emergence of such winners.

Atupulazi, while commending those behind the two stories that did not make it, gave the stories as, ”Ban on Keke, Shuttle Buses, Leaves Commuters Stranded”, which was published on the June 6-12, 2021 edition of Fides Newspaper; and a story by Mr Alexander Adejoh, titled, ”Aftermath of Accident, citizens comment on non-use of Awka Flyovers by Articulated vehicles”, which was published on the June 13-19, 2021 Edition of Fides Newspaper.

Giving reasons for their inability to win the award, Atupulazi said the first one would have won but for the fact that he made some inputs in the said story. On the second one, he said it was not the initiative of the reporter as he had directed the reporter to write on that topic.

‘Once my byline comes into your story, it no longer bears the requirements for it to win the FiBROM Award because we have to be fair, but any story that is the initiative of the reporter and which does not have my input, but meets the requirements, will win the award,’ Atupulazi explained.

Speaking on this, the Director, Fides Media, Rev Fr Dr Martin Anusi, reiterated the need to maintain the standard which Fides had been known for.

His words, ‘When Mr Atupulazi established the standards, he made it clear that if he was involved in your story or suggested it to you, no matter how beautiful the story is, you are no longer eligible to get an award from the story,’ he said.

Rev. Fr Anusi however commended the two reporters and encouraged them to keep doing well.

Speaking on behalf of the reporters, Mr Precious Ukeje appreciated the Fides Director; Assistant Director; Editor-in-Chief, and other staff members, for their support to the establishment in one way or the other. He expressed his joy of being counted worthy to be among the Fides Family.

‘We Will continue doing our best to ensure the growth of this establishment, and, as to not winning an award this month, we believe next month we will not miss winning an award”, he concluded