BZ prizes for local journalism and the Swiss Press Photo awarded

This year, the Berner Zeitung (BZ) prize for local journalism remains in Bern: the two Bund journalists Richard Aschinger and Nicole Jegerlehner impressed the jury with their series about a primary school class in Bern, which they followed for a year. In her laudatory speech at the award ceremony on Thursday, jury member Silvia Egli von Matt praised the Bernese journalists' contributions as "the best journalism that demonstrates expertise, perseverance and passion". The juror told SDA that these are three things that are often lacking in today's journalism. Thierry Mertenant, journalist at the Tribune de Genève, accepted the corresponding prize for French-speaking Switzerland.
The Espace Media prize for the Swiss Press Photo 2006 also went to a Bernese photographer. Photographer Peter Gerber won the award with a picture of Muslims meeting for prayer on the Bundesplatz to demonstrate against the publication of the Mohammed cartoons. The picture was printed in both L'Hebdo and Sonntagsblick. The jury evaluated a total of 1,658 images from 128 photographers. The best photos will be published in a catalog and exhibited at a traveling exhibition in Zurich and Geneva.
 
550 invited guests were present, including guest speaker Roger Köppel, when the media awards of the Bern-based Espace Group, to which the BZ also belongs, were presented on Thursday evening.