SEEMO PRESS RELEASE

* *

Vienna, 17 October 2007

*BULGARIAN JOUNALIST WINS THE *

*DR. ERHARD BUSEK - SEEMO 2007 AWARD FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING IN SOUTH EAST
EUROPE*

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of
editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and
an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is pleased to
announce the winner of the Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO 2007 Award for Better
Understanding in South East Europe.

After careful deliberation, the jury has chosen Milena Dimitrova,
commentator for the Bulgarian daily newspaper *Trud* from Sofia, as this
year's winner. Dimitrova, who holds a PhD in Journalism, is also the author
of several books, such as:* Pictures from Japan *(1992), *Parliament and
Journalism *(2000), and *Frandzhipani i Farangi: Two Bulgarians with the
"Giraffe" Women of Burma* (2005), written together with Magdalena Gigova.
Dimitriva also teaches "Press Journalism and Investigative Reporting" at
Sofia University "Sv. Kliment Ohridski". She is the president of the Union
of Bulgarian Journalists' Investigative Journalism Section.

Dimitrova, who has worked as a journalist since 1983, was chosen for the
2007 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East
Europe from among 39 final nominations from all countries in the region. She
receives this award for her journalistic work, through which Dimitrova promoted
a climate of better understanding among people from different countries and
cultures.

Dimitrova, who has been active in fighting corruption in Bulgaria, was
an investigative
reporter and presenter of the TV programme "Na Chisto" (On Square),
dedicated to exposing corruption. Furthermore, she wrote for the Bulgarian
weekly, *168 Hours* and the daily *Debati*.

Dimitrova is a winner of the 2005 USAID/Coalition 2000 Award for
Investigative Journalism, the 2004 and 2005 Annual Award of the Union of
Bulgarian Journalists, the 2004 Annual Prize for Investigation of *Pari
Daily*'s Publisher, and the 2000 Award for Objective Journalism on Domestic
Issues.

Sponsored by Dr. Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for
South Eastern Europe, Coordinator of the Southeast European Cooperative
Initiative (SECI), President of the European Forum Alpbach, Chairman of the
"Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe" and former
Vice-Chancellor of Austria, the € 2,000 prize is awarded every year to a
journalist, editor, media executive or a journalist trainer in South East
Europe, who, through the media, has promoted better understanding among
peoples in the region and worked towards solving minority-related problems,
and fighting against ethnic discrimination, racism, and xenophobia, among
others.

In 2002, the Dr. Erhard Busek - SEEMO jury chose to honor the Croatian
journalist Denis Latin with the award. In 2003, it was presented to Kemal
Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief of the Sarajevo daily *Oslobodjenje*.
Brankica Petkovic, Head of the Center for Media Policy at the Peace
Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was the recipient of the 2005 award. Danko
Plevnik, international relations columnist for the Croatian daily *Slobodna
Dalmacija* from Split was the winner of last year's award.

This year's award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, 19 October
2007, in Vienna, Austria, by Dr. Erhard Busek and Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO
Secretary General. For further information, please contact Zwetelina
Damjanova, SEEMO Project Coordinator at: i...@seemo.org or by phone: +43 1
513 39 40.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------
SEEMO is a regional network of editors, media executives and leading
journalists in South East Europe.

****
SEEMO - IPI, Spiegelgasse 2/29, 1010 Vienna, Austria, Tel (SEEMO+HELP LINE):
+43 1 513 39 40, Tel (SEEMO): +43 1 512 90 11 11, Fax: +43 1 512 90 15,
E-mail: i...@seemo.org, Web: http://www.seemo.org

****
This information is sent to you in compliance with the Austrian
Telekommunikationsgesetz (TKG §107). If you do not want to receive further
mailings, please send an e-mail with "UNSUBSCRIBE" to: i...@seemo.org *