São Paulo – The Brazil Arab News Agency (ANBA) is the third most awarded news agency in all times in the country, according to the classification of most awarded vehicles by Jornalistas & Cia., a journalism and communication website. The classification considers journalism awards received by professionals in that vehicle throughout the years. In the News Agencies category, ANBA was only behind the state-owned communications company Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação (EBC), which achieved first place, and Radioweb, in second. After ANBA, news agencies Agência Pública came in fourth and France Presse in fifth place.
ANBA is also the 134th communication vehicle to receive most awards in Brazil in all times, according to the same study. The agency achieved 140 points in the Jornalistas & Cia classification, due to seven awards it has received. The number of awards collected by ANBA since it was founded, in 2003, is greater: there were 11 first places. The classification, however, does not consider all awards but makes a selection of the best.
ANBA was created by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce to publish news on the relations between Brazil and the Arab countries and thus strengthen the ties between the two regions. The initial project was developed by Agência Meios, of journalists Joel Santos Guimarães and Paula Quental. The vehicle registers approximately one million monthly hits and publishes news in Portuguese and English. Throughout the years, ANBA has covered many events in countries in the Middle East and North Africa on diplomacy and trade.
As well as the reports on commercial relations between Brazil and the Arab countries, the agency publishes stories about Brazilian sectors which may interest the Arab world, such as agriculture, livestock, energy and infrastructure, as well as culture and diplomacy. Recent prizes received by the agency include the Brazilian Highway Concessionaries Association (ABCR) Award, in 2011, for the article “Ready to resurface”, about investments in highways, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) Journalism Award, in 2010, for the report “A new diet for the crops”, about the production of alternative fertilizers, both by journalist Isaura Daniel.
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
