Portrays of poverty and people experiencing poverty in media are too many times used as political weapons or emotional sellers, ignoring that this is a social issue due to structural failures. In short, poverty is not an individual choice, but a political one.
The lack of dignifying representation of people experiencing poverty in the news along the overlook of poverty roots, was the motivation for EAPN Austria (Die Armutskonferenz) to create the Journalism Prize for Respectful Reporting on Poverty.
It’s main goal? Positively influence the way poverty is covered in the media and support the journalists who work on this subject
The initiative seeks to promote reporting that is respectful and non-stigmatising, that gives space to the experiences and perspectives of people experiencing poverty and goes beyond individual stories to examine the political and structural causes and consequences of this social issue.
Ever since 2016, the initiative has been replicated in about 10 European countries. The goal now is to support even more EAPN Members to create their own national Journalism Prize for Respectful Poverty Reporting. Keep reading and find out more!
Putting lived experience at the heart of the prize
In all countries where the prize takes place, there is an effort to have juris that consist exclusively or, at least, mainly consist of people experiencing poverty. They review media reports, assess how poverty and people experiencing poverty are portrayed and select the winners.
For Vera (EAPN Austria) on Journalism Prize for Respectful Poverty Reporting, who has served on the Austrian jury several times, this is at the heart of why the initiative matters:
"The journalism award is extremely important because it does not just combat poverty and address its effects on behalf of those concerned. It actively integrates those experiencing poverty and recognises them as experts in their own field."
The jury process also creates space to question the language and assumptions that often go unnoticed in media coverage. As Vera explains, it can reveal “which words are used and regarded as normal” and what society considers respectful coverage and language.
Markus Stachl, a journalist with Austrian television who has won the award, sees the same idea from the other side:
"The award gives a voice to people who are often overlooked in society. Being among the winners made me very happy. I see the prize less as a judgement and more as an encouragement: to keep talking about hardship and difficult subjects on television, and to do it respectfully."
One idea, many newsrooms
Since the creation of the Journalism Prize, each EAPN network adapts the initiative to their own national media and political contexts. In some countries, networks have taken the idea further, building extra layers around the award itself:
- In Finland, the initiative began in 2016 and has also led to the development of two guides on respectful reporting on poverty, one aimed at journalists and another at people experiencing poverty.
- In Hungary, the initiative is known as the “From Poverty to Dignity” journalism prize. There, the project reflects a broader commitment to involving people experiencing different aspects of poverty in political decision-making processes, while recognising the increasingly limited space for independent media.
- In Serbia, the prize responds to a striking gap between the scale of poverty and the attention it receives in the media. Their initiative seeks also to support people experiencing poverty to share their experiences without fear of exploitation or tokenisation.
Across these different contexts, the initiative shares the same participatory principle on poverty, it should be reported with people, not simply about people.
How respectful reporting can change the conversation
The impact of the initiative goes beyond the journalism profession. How poverty is reported shapes whose experiences are considered worth hearing and which issues make it into public debate. If done correctly, it can challenge stigma and create space for political action.
And when stories move beyond the media, they can also become part of a wider conversation about what needs to change. As Jasna, a jury member from Croatia, puts it:
“I hope that the stories reach out to the people who create and pass social policy laws in my state and this help the poor”.
Ultimately, the Journalism Prize for Respectful Reporting on Poverty started with an idea dedicated to journalism, but its ambition is bigger than it. It makes us all question: who gets to tell the story of poverty, who gets to judge whether that story is respectful and what happens when people experiencing poverty are recognised as experts in both?
In the current political context, these questions matter more than ever. If your EAPN network would like to learn more about the prize and create its own edition, please contact.