BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota (July 27, 2019)—Irish journalist Crawford McCann was recognized by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) with the Star Prize for Video, the organization’s honor for the best video reporting in its worldwide competition. The award was announced at IFAJ’s World Congress in Bloomington, Minnesota.
McCann’s winning video, “Brexit: Farming On The Edge,” was broadcast nationwide on RTE, Ireland’s national network. One judge noted that the video package “had it all…it showed me why this matters, didn’t just tell me.”
Added Steve Werblow, secretary-general of IFAJ, “Crawford McCann’s Star Prize winning video demonstrated the power of good interviewing, good camerawork and good storytelling. It’s a powerful and insightful telling of a very important story.”
McCann was honored with a trophy and a €500 cash prize. Michael Brissenden of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was recognized with a Highly Commended prize in the video competition for his “Proud Country” segment on the impacts of drought on rural Australia.
The IFAJ Star Prize contest program is sponsored by John Deere and Rabobank. Judges of the digital and broadcast entries included Ian Petrie, retired broadcaster from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); Ken Rundle, a former broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); and Neil Inall, formerly of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Leigh Radford of Australia’s Events on Air and former head of ABC Rural, coordinated the broadcast awards.
