By Martin Banks - 20th October 2011
I have to admit that I have had a very ambivalent relationship with this prize
Morten Lokkegaard MEP
The European parliament has decided to scrap its annual journalism prize, it has been revealed.
The move comes in the wake of mounting criticism of the award, the latest of which was presented earlier this week.
The decision to scrap the award was welcomed by UKIP deputy Marta Andreasen, who said, "This is a good decision that should have been taken long ago.
"There is a clear conflict of interest in any parliament awarding journalists it deems worthy."
Further comment came from Danish MEP Morten Lokkegaard, deputy chair of parliament's culture committee and a member of the jury which selects the winners.
The deputy, himself a former journalist, told the Danish "Journalisten.dk" website, "I have to admit that I have had a very ambivalent relationship with this prize.
"On the one hand, it is ok to reward good journalism but, on the other, I was not happy with the way the competition was run."
He said that, as a jury member, he was this year asked to consider submissions from 100 journalists, adding, "I had to go through them all in my spare time and, often, the articles had not been translated into English.
"I believe that if you are going to run a prize like this you should do it professionally and do it seriously."
Earlier this week, parliament president Jerzy Buzek angrily dismissed claims that the assembly's annual excellence in journalism prize amounted to mere 'propaganda'.
Speaking at the glitzy awards ceremony on Wednesday, he said the competition aimed to "promote critical and impartial journalism as well as the creation of a common European public space".
He said those participating in this year's event had "contributed to these efforts".
Parliament's eurosceptic EFD group, however, branded the awards as "mere propaganda".
Paul Nutall, a UKIP member of the culture committee, said, "This EU funding of an approved journalism prize deeply compromises the journalists involved and opens the EU to the charge of paying for propaganda.
"This is an attack on press independence by the EU – not at the point of a gun, but at the shake of the chequebook."
