Drago Hedl wins award for war crimes journalism

[video:youtube:7f6AyehCFJQ] Croatian journalist Drago Hedl has won the Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism Award for 2008 announced by the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO) yesterday. Hedl works as an editor and journalist with the political weekly Feral Tribune in Split,

The jury said it based its decision “on the integrity and personal courage demonstrated by Hedl in carrying out his work on war crimes committed against [Serb] civilians in the eastern city of Osijek in 1991”.
According to the jury, “writing about war crimes is not something that makes a journalist popular. People are unwilling to confront the dark side of the war, and often dismiss those who report on it as traitors. With this unpopular image Hedl has to continue living in Croatia”. link

Hedl also scripted the film “Vukovar: the Final Cut”. The awards ceremony will take place in Wroclaw, Poland, 2-3 June 2008. Hedl previously won the Knight Foundation Award for International Journalism in 2006. The video above gives a bit of background to his work. link