The Thomson Reuters Foundation has revoked the awarding of the Kurt Schork Prize for International Journalism to Palestinian freelance journalist Shada Hammad after her exposure to anti-Semitism accusations by Israeli groups.
“Alongside the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the Kurt Schork Local Reporter Award from Palestinian journalist Shada Hammad” the Reuters Foundation said in a statement on Tuesday.
After announcing her name as a winner Hammad had dedicated the Kurt Schork award to Palestinian prisoners and the journalists who were murdered by Israeli forces including Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.
The foundation claimed that its decision was taken after Israeli organizations and personages reported old social media posts belonging to her that contained remarks in praise of German chancellor Adolf Hitler.
West Bank-based Hammad works as a freelance correspondent for Middle East Eye (MEE) a London-based online news website covering events in the Middle East and North Africa. Her articles mainly focus on the Palestinian cause and Israeli violations in the occupied territories.
The Palestinian journalist was honored at the One World Media Awards in June 2020 where she won the New Voice Award for young journalists who have made a “substantial contribution to international journalism during the year.”
