U of A to award international journalist with Zenger prize

After a year-long delay due to the Israel-Gaza conflict, the University of Arizona School of Journalism is bestowing its prestigious Zenger Award for Press Freedom to Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent.

The school will award the prize to Doucet on Nov. 1 for her reporting on armed conflicts and human rights.

Doucet was announced as the 2023 Zenger Award recipient but was unable to come to Tucson to receive it last year because she was called to the Middle East to report on the early days of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“For decades Doucet has done an exceptional job reporting from all over the world, obtaining prestigious recognitions for her contributions to journalism,” UA School of Journalism Director Jessica Retis said in a statement. “Her inclusive and diverse perspective on news coverage inspired the journalism school to choose her as recipient of the Zenger Award.”

The award dinner is the journalism school’s biggest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going to support students and faculty, Retis said.

The prize, given by the school since 1954, honors those who fight for freedom of the press and the people’s right to know.

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Based in London, Doucet started as a BBC correspondent in 1983, reporting from West Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East. Since becoming a BBC presenter in 1999, she has spent more than two decades reporting on wars across Africa, Asia and Europe.

“You will find her rushing into places from where people are usually rushing out, and reporting stories that are crucial to bring about any political or social change,” said Monica Chadha, UA School of Journalism director of graduate studies.

Doucet was part of a team that won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2009 for a report on high maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan, and she earned an Emmy award in 2014 for her part in the BBC’s coverage of Syria.

Currently, the journalist has been focused on covering the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Her work has been highlighted in the BBC podcast launched in October 2023, “The Conflict: Israel-Gaza,” and on the BBC Two documentary “The Darkest Days: Israel-Gaza Six Months On,” which premiered on the channel in April.

The awards reception and dinner will take place at the Marriott University Park Hotel on campus.

Individual tickets are $100, and a table for 10 is $1,000 (payments in excess of $60 per person qualify as tax-deductible donations). There is also the option to sponsor a student to attend for $100 (fully tax-deductible). Tickets are available through a secure UA Foundation website: register.uafoundation.org/2024-zenger-award.