We are delighted to announce that Mishal Husain has received the BJR’s Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism last night ( November 7) at the University of Westminster. Presented by Shirin and Marina Wheeler in honour of their late father.
Mishal was joined by former Wheeler Award winner Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor for Channel 4 News and one of the country’s leading broadcast journalists. Hilsum spoke passionately about the implications of Trump’s re-election as US President for journalism and for Ukraine, Europe and the Middle East.
In the subsequent Q&A, Hilsum and Husain emphasised the vital importance of professional journalism as a means of countering disinformation and the kind of polarisation that was apparent during the American presidential election and is growing throughout Europe.
In her speech Husain said: “I will be pinching myself for some time that my name is now among those honoured by this award. My 14 predecessors are foreign correspondents, presenters, reporters with a particular beat and yes interviewers. The lines or job descriptions don’t matter, the contribution does.”
Mishal Husain has won the 2024 Charles Wheeler award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism, which is now in its 16th year. The award ceremony will take place, as usual, at the University of Westminster’s Regent Street Cinema. Further details, including speaker, will be announced shortly.
Mishal started her BBC career as a producer in 1998, becoming a presenter on BBC World News in 2001 and working both in the studio and on location, from the US to the Middle East, South Asia, Singapore and China. In 2014 she was the first reporter to enter the school attacked by the Taliban in Peshawar, Pakistan, and in 2017 her engagement interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was seen around the world. Since 2013 she has been a presenter of the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4, with a reputation for robustly challenging political leaders, and also appeared on the BBC News at Six and BBC News at Ten. Her TV documentaries have included a three-part series on the life of Mahatma Gandhi; How Facebook Changed the World about the Arab uprisings of 2011; Malala – Shot for Going to School and The Longest Reign, which aired after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
She was named the Voice of the Viewer and Listener ‘Best Contributor to Audio’ of 2023 and hosted two election debates for the BBC during the 2024 election campaign. Her second book ‘Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence’ was published in June
The Charles Wheeler Award, a collaboration between British Journalism Review and the University of Westminster supported by the Journalists’ Charity, started in 2009 when the inaugural winner was Jeremy Paxman. It is presented each year by members of the Wheeler family.
Notes to editors:
A full list of BJR Charles Wheeler Award winners and speakers to date is given below.
Winner Speaker
2009 Jeremy Paxman Mark Thompson
2010 Jeremy Bowen Boris Johnson
2011 Lindsey Hilsum Alastair Campbell
2012 Allan Little Alan Rusbridger
2013 Robin Lustig Harriet Harman
2014 Jon Snow Robert Peston
2015 Alex Crawford Alan Yentob
2016 George Alagiah Sir Tom Stoppard
2017 Lyse Doucet Kate Adie
2018 Michael Crick Gina Miller
2019 Katya Adler James Naughtie
2020 Hugh Pym Sir Peter Bazalgette
2021 No award – Covid
2022 Matt Frei Catherine Mayer
2023 Christiane Amanpour Martin Bell/ Robin Lustig/James Naughtie
2024 Mishal Husain Lindsey Hilsum
Notes to editors:
A full list of BJR Charles Wheeler Award winners and speakers to date is given below.
Winner Speaker
2009 Jeremy Paxman Mark Thompson
2010 Jeremy Bowen Boris Johnson
2011 Lindsey Hilsum Alastair Campbell
2012 Allan Little Alan Rusbridger
2013 Robin Lustig Harriet Harman
2014 Jon Snow Robert Peston
2015 Alex Crawford Alan Yentob
2016 George Alagiah Sir Tom Stoppard
2017 Lyse Doucet Kate Adie
2018 Michael Crick Gina Miller
2019 Katya Adler James Naughtie
2020 Hugh Pym Sir Peter Bazalgette
2021 No award – Covid
2022 Matt Frei Catherine Mayer
2023 Christiane Amanpour Martin Bell/ Robin Lustig/James Naughtie