Awards home	Ceremony
Categories	Winners
Entry Criteria	Shortlist
	Jury
	Sponsors 2007

 

 

Press: The Big Steal

 

Jonathan Watts has gone where many do not bother to go, reporting on the land issues that threaten modern China. ‘The Big Steal’, brings issues of the developing world to Europe, making the flow of information from both hemispheres even.

 

 

 

The jury said:

“This beautifully written report on the complex story of land grabbing in China, which has huge importance for the world, stood out for all the judges. As one put it: “He could not have done it better.” Jonathan Watts showed great respect for the people he interviewed and brought each of his main characters, especially the women, completely to life with his careful use of their words. It is a piece which stays in the mind, and raises many issues of economic and political power not often explored so clearly.”

 

Jonathan Watts said:

"Thank you. It is a huge honour to win the One World Award. I think this reflects the growing importance of China as it pursues a new model of development. As a correspondent, I believe there is no better country to cover right now. I am fortunate to be able to do so for The Guardian, which has encouraged me to travel widely and explore how social change is affecting the lives of ordinary people. Not many newspapers would give a reporter four months to do a story, which is how long it took to complete The Big Steal. Credit must also to my friend and former assistant Huang Lisha, who did most of the interpretation and some of the reporting for the story."

 

Sponsored by:

 

Back to Winners Page.