Achievements of Asian journalists are recognised

Two accomplished broadcast journalists were winners at this year’s Asian Women of Achievement Awards.

Channel Four’s current affairs reporter Zaiba Malik was named Media Professional of the Year and BBC World news presenter Mishal Husain won Young Achiever of the Year.

Malik, 34, propelled herself into the field of undercover investigative reporting and has produced ground-breaking documentaries. The programmes are on subjects ranging from the deaths of 2,500 people in a war against drugs in Thailand to the racism experienced by Asian retailers in the UK.

Malik said: “The awards have shown that the world is gradually opening up for Asian women. These women have massive amounts of integrity and resilience. In many fields it is difficult being a woman and to be an Asian woman can be the worst of both worlds, but now we are really venturing into new territory.”

Husain, 31, joined the BBC in 1998 as a producer at BBC World and is now one of its key presenters. She is currently anchoring the breakfast news, reaching 260 million homes worldwide.

Husain said: “What was really nice about this award was to be acknowledged by your own community, which is a different sort of recognition.”