Age Concern New Zealand Media Release 1 October 2009

Age Concern applauds media award winners

Winners of the Age Concern New Zealand Patron's Award for the media were announced at a lunchtime function in Wellington today to mark the International Day of Older Persons.

Fairfax Community Newspapers writer Scott Morgan and photographer Jason Oxenham won the Patron's Award – Best Reporting for their entry "Daring trio head off to Mongolia".

The Patron's Award – Best Advertising was won by Nintendo Australasia for the Nintendo DSi advertising campaign "More functions, more fun".

Dominion Post writer Tanya Katterns and photographer Andrew Gorrie took the Best Reporting Runner-up award for their profile of school volunteer Bob Bargh.

Age Concern's Patron, Judge Ken Mason, and a panel of judges selected the winner from five finalists.

"Too often, the depictions of older people in the media aren't representative of today's older New Zealanders," Judge Mason told the award audience.

"Worse, there are great gaps where older people are not seen in the media at all, and if they're not invisible, too many older people are literally faceless – they're shown only from the back or in part.

"The media are both the mirror and shapers of society, so we decided to create an award to encourage and reward positive portrayals of older people.

"Our Patron's Award encourages and rewards media depictions of older people that challenge negative attitudes."

Media and government representatives were told,"Go out, start looking and start questioning. If you're in the media please ask yourself 'am I really reflecting today's older people. Is this how they look; is this how they really are?'"

ENDS

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