Chugoku Shimbun receives Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award for 15th time for its “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima” series
Oct. 8, 2020
On October 7, the Nihon Shimbun Kyokai (NSK; in English, the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association) announced its Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards for fiscal 2020, naming six winners, including the Chugoku Shimbun for its series of reports “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing” and “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing—Recreating cityscapes.” This is the 15th time the Chugoku Shimbun has received an NSK association award and the 10th occasion for it to be presented with an NSK Editorial Division Award. An awards ceremony will be held at the 73rd National Newspaper Convention, scheduled to be held in Kobe City on November 26.
The Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards were established in 1957 with the aim of promoting efforts to enhance the credibility and influence of the newspaper industry (including wire services and broadcasters). A total of 95 entries were entered for this year’s awards: 22 news stories, 22 photographs and videos, and 51 news projects, including the “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima” series. The Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards were originally divided into three segments—the Editorial Division, the Technology Division, and the Business/Management Division. However, starting this fiscal year, the NSK association reorganized its awards into the single category of Editorial Division Awards.
For its “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima” series, the Chugoku Shimbun reexamined actual conditions of A-bomb devastation unknown even today, 75 years after the atomic bombing. The Chugoku Shimbun developed its related stories based on the twin pillars represented by those reports and “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing—Recreating cityscapes,” through which the company collected and introduced photographs of the city of Hiroshima before its destruction in the atomic bombing.
According to NSK, the association granted the award to the Chugoku Shimbun because, “The Chugoku Shimbun demonstrated that historical voids can be filled even 75 years after the atomic bombing by identifying names of A-bomb victims not listed in official records and details about unknown victim remains based on examination of official documents, materials maintained by A-bomb survivors’ organizations, and personal accounts of A-bomb survivors. Moreover, the Chugoku Shimbun created a photographic archive to communicate information about Hiroshima’s cityscapes and people’s lives before the atomic bombing.” NSK added, “With this series of news stories based on its meticulous research, the Chugoku Shimbun has shed light on the reality of A-bomb victims and survivors, as well as the negligence of the Japanese government. The series was given high marks as outstanding investigative reporting that exhibited the power of journalism to prevent memories from fading. For that reason, the series is a worthy recipient of the Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards.”
The Chugoku Shimbun won the NSK Editorial Division Award for the first time for its series “Seto Inland Sea,” published in fiscal 1959. It also received the award for the news coverage of the atomic bombing titled “History of Hiroshima: 1945–1995,” which was published in fiscal 1995, the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing. This year, the company was granted a Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award for the first time in eight years, since the last time it received the award for its photographic project series titled “Cradle of Life: Various Ecosystems in Seto Inland Sea ” in fiscal 2012.
Comments by Tetsuya Okahata, Chugoku Shimbun president
We are pleased to receive the highest award in Japan’s newspaper industry this year, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing. We would like to express our gratitude again to A-bomb survivors, bereaved families of A-bomb victims, and those concerned who cooperated in our research and interviews. This is the fifth time for us to receive the award for news coverage of the atomic bombing. As a newspaper in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, we hope to continue our efforts to fill the voids of the unconfirmed reality of A-bomb devastation and contribute to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award–winning works
“No announcement about mistaken collection of remains of overseas war dead,” an investigative series, by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Representative: Shinya Kimura); Investigative series on violence among teachers and series of articles about education in Kobe City, by the Kobe Shimbun (Representative: Shun Inoue); “Covid-19 hospital ward for critical cases: Doctors on the frontlines,” by Fuji Television Network (Representative: Jun Sano); “Burned symbol of Okinawa,” by the Okinawa Times (Representative: Hideya Sakihama); “Living in Japan,” a crusading journalism report investigating the right of non-Japanese children to an education, by the Mainichi Shimbun Tokyo Head Office (Representative: Haruna Okuyama); “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing” and “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing—Recreating cityscapes,” by the Chugoku Shimbun (Representative: Yumi Kanazaki).
(Originally published on October 8, 2020)
The Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards were established in 1957 with the aim of promoting efforts to enhance the credibility and influence of the newspaper industry (including wire services and broadcasters). A total of 95 entries were entered for this year’s awards: 22 news stories, 22 photographs and videos, and 51 news projects, including the “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima” series. The Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards were originally divided into three segments—the Editorial Division, the Technology Division, and the Business/Management Division. However, starting this fiscal year, the NSK association reorganized its awards into the single category of Editorial Division Awards.
For its “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima” series, the Chugoku Shimbun reexamined actual conditions of A-bomb devastation unknown even today, 75 years after the atomic bombing. The Chugoku Shimbun developed its related stories based on the twin pillars represented by those reports and “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing—Recreating cityscapes,” through which the company collected and introduced photographs of the city of Hiroshima before its destruction in the atomic bombing.
According to NSK, the association granted the award to the Chugoku Shimbun because, “The Chugoku Shimbun demonstrated that historical voids can be filled even 75 years after the atomic bombing by identifying names of A-bomb victims not listed in official records and details about unknown victim remains based on examination of official documents, materials maintained by A-bomb survivors’ organizations, and personal accounts of A-bomb survivors. Moreover, the Chugoku Shimbun created a photographic archive to communicate information about Hiroshima’s cityscapes and people’s lives before the atomic bombing.” NSK added, “With this series of news stories based on its meticulous research, the Chugoku Shimbun has shed light on the reality of A-bomb victims and survivors, as well as the negligence of the Japanese government. The series was given high marks as outstanding investigative reporting that exhibited the power of journalism to prevent memories from fading. For that reason, the series is a worthy recipient of the Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Awards.”
The Chugoku Shimbun won the NSK Editorial Division Award for the first time for its series “Seto Inland Sea,” published in fiscal 1959. It also received the award for the news coverage of the atomic bombing titled “History of Hiroshima: 1945–1995,” which was published in fiscal 1995, the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing. This year, the company was granted a Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award for the first time in eight years, since the last time it received the award for its photographic project series titled “Cradle of Life: Various Ecosystems in Seto Inland Sea ” in fiscal 2012.
Contribution to world without nuclear weapons
Comments by Tetsuya Okahata, Chugoku Shimbun president
We are pleased to receive the highest award in Japan’s newspaper industry this year, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing. We would like to express our gratitude again to A-bomb survivors, bereaved families of A-bomb victims, and those concerned who cooperated in our research and interviews. This is the fifth time for us to receive the award for news coverage of the atomic bombing. As a newspaper in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, we hope to continue our efforts to fill the voids of the unconfirmed reality of A-bomb devastation and contribute to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award–winning works
“No announcement about mistaken collection of remains of overseas war dead,” an investigative series, by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Representative: Shinya Kimura); Investigative series on violence among teachers and series of articles about education in Kobe City, by the Kobe Shimbun (Representative: Shun Inoue); “Covid-19 hospital ward for critical cases: Doctors on the frontlines,” by Fuji Television Network (Representative: Jun Sano); “Burned symbol of Okinawa,” by the Okinawa Times (Representative: Hideya Sakihama); “Living in Japan,” a crusading journalism report investigating the right of non-Japanese children to an education, by the Mainichi Shimbun Tokyo Head Office (Representative: Haruna Okuyama); “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing” and “Striving to fill voids in Hiroshima 75 years after the atomic bombing—Recreating cityscapes,” by the Chugoku Shimbun (Representative: Yumi Kanazaki).
(Originally published on October 8, 2020)
