Communication prize awarded to NATO

Today, Danish minister of defence, Ms. Gitte Lillelund Bech, presented the Communication Prize 2009. The prize was awarded to NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division for its development of web-based communication, including the natochannel.tv, and its coverage of the effort in Afghanistan.

“Denmark supported the establishment of the web-based TV-channel a couple of years ago, and NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division has further developed the product to an extent way beyond our expectations”, said the minister of defence, as she presented the prize to the acting head of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, Dr. Stefanie Babst.

 
Natochannel.tv is today the biggest provider of images from the effort in Afghanistan. Among its customers are media from all over the world, including the biggest TV-newsmedia. In 2009, the application of natochannel.tv features in international news agencies increased from a monthly 114 to 674 in eight months. At the same time, NATO is also present in the social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

 
Every year, the minister of defence awards the communication prize to units or individuals who have made a marked effort for communication – internally or externally.

 
Former recipients of the prize are:
2006: LC H.-C. Mathiesen, then head of the Defence Communications Secretariat
2007: The Defence Recruitment Service
2008: The Emergency Management Agency