The Rory Peck Trust is an international NGO that supports freelance journalists and their families in crisis. Based in London, UK, it provides practical assistance and support to freelance journalists worldwide, to raise their profile, promote their welfare and safety, and to support their right to report freely and without fear. It also runs the annualRory Peck Awards.
History
Freelance cameraman Rory Peck was killed in Moscow in 1993. In 1995, his widow, Juliet, founded the Trust in his memory. Originally established to run the Rory Peck Awards, the scope of the Trust's work grew, and in 1998 the Freelance Assistance Programme was established, providing emergency grants to freelance journalists in crisis. In 2000, the Rory Peck Training Fund was set up, which provides hostile environment training bursaries to freelancers. The Trust now gives over 100 grants each year to freelancers worldwide.
Freelance Assistance Programme
The Freelance Assistance Programme is the main charitable arm of the Rory Peck Trust, and provides direct financial and practical support to freelance journalists and their families globally. The Programme has four main elements:
Assistance grants providing financial assistance to freelance newsgatherers in crisis, and to those who have been seriously injured or are suffering persecution, exile or imprisonment as a result of their work. They also support the families of those who have died.
Rory Peck Training Bursaries make hostile environment training affordable for freelancers, enabling them to gain the skills and knowledge needed to work in difficult and dangerous environments.
Region-specific projects are run in collaboration with local and international partners that aim to protect and educate freelancers in ways that are specific to their needs.
Ongoing practical advice and information for freelancers and their families, including a series of online resources.
The Rory Peck Awards
Established in 1995, the Rory Peck Awards "celebrate the skill and achievement of freelance cameramen and camerawomen around the world and demonstrate why they are so important to the newsgathering industry". There are three main categories:
The Rory Peck Award for News which honours the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in the coverage of a news event where the focus is on the immediacy of the story.
The Rory Peck Award for News Features which honours the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs features.
Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs which honours the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs that examines humanitarian and social issues.
In addition, each year the Martin Adler Prize is awarded to a freelancer who has made a significant contribution to newsgathering. The aim of the prize is to highlight the dedication and talent of freelancers who work under challenging and difficult circumstances within their own country. The prize is named in honour of Martin Adler, a freelance journalist who was killed in Somalia in 2006.
