Ian Black, the Guardianās Middle East editor, was unable to speak at the dinner due to illness, but he wrote a statement of support that Nashashibi read out. āI'd like briefly to pay tribute to the work of AMW,ā the statement began.
āFor anyone in the British media writing about the Middle East or the wider Arab world, AMW - very ably run by Sharif Nashashibi - has become a force to be reckoned with. It has served notice that inaccuracy, misrepresentation, half-truths and prejudice are simply not acceptable - and has done much to monitor and combat them.ā
Black continued: āAMW has played an especially important role on Iraq and Palestine. Its work on the Gaza war was both combative and effective. Its letters to editors, op-ed articles and complaints about biased or misleading coverage have become part of the landscape.ā
He added: āTo some extent AMW has filled the gap left by the failures of the Palestinians and Arab governments to state their case as effectively as they could and should've done. That's especially true with regard to the Arab Peace Initiative, which surely remains the only workable basis for a just and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.ā
Black concluded: āThe work of AMW is necessary, courteous and professional. I commend it to you wholeheartedly.ā
The next speaker was Barbara Serra, presenter for Al Jazeera English (formerly with the BBC, Sky News and Channel 5), whose introduction was followed by projected footage of her heated interview of Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev during the Gaza invasion.
āIt's easy to forget, when one works closely with and in the Middle East, how little knowledge the general public across the world often has about the issues behind the continuing tensions, from the illegal occupation in the West Bank to the continuing expansion of settlements there,āshe said.
āThat's why the work of AMW is so invaluable. They don't just fight against prejudice and distortion in the media, but also highlight inaccuracies which, if left unchecked, would only reinforce the misconceptions many hold towards the Arab world.ā
A performance by comedian Ian Stone was followed by the presentation of AMW's annual award for excellence in journalism to world-renowned reporter, author and documentary filmmaker John Pilger, whose daughter Zoe accepted the award and read out a statement by him.
āThis is an honour I very much appreciate, and I send warm thanks from Australia to all of you at AMW, āhe wrote. āI pay tribute tonight to AMW, and to Al Jazeera, and to all the courageous Arab journalists who have brought us the truth...ā Attendees watched clips of Pilgerās documentaries āBreaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terrorā and āPalestine is Still the Issue.ā
A three-course dinner was then served, with Arabic music in the background, quotes from the night's speakers projected on screen, and a raffle and auction which included five-star holidays, paintings by renowned Arab artists, and antique Arab furniture.
Peter Oborne, political columnist at the Daily Mail and contributing editor at the Spectator, was unable to speak at the dinner because he had to travel unexpectedly to Afghanistan, but he wrote a message of support that Nashashibi read out:
āThe most noble purpose of journalism is to tell the truth and expose falsehood. Too often, British journalism achieves the exact opposite. It tells lies and glorifies falsehood. That's why the work of AMW is so important. It sets out to combat the climate of deception that dominates too much of our reporting.ā
And here is more feedback from AMWās grateful media client base:
āThank youā¦We did enjoy it.ā - Financial Times / Reuters
āMany thanks for inviting me. I enjoyed it.ā - The Independent
āI enjoyed the programme and the company of your nice guests.ā - BBC
āThank you very much for the invitation. I wish you all the success you deserve.ā - BBC
āThank you very much for the invitation. I really enjoyed the annual dinner. It was refreshing. It was, as before, perfectly organisedā¦ā ā BBC
āThank you so much for your generous invitationā¦The event was wonderful and the presentation was flawlessā¦Best wishes for continued successā¦ā ā BBC.
Melanie Phillips in The Spectator