020 8914 8966
020 8914 8966
Michael Buerk has probably won more international awards for television reporting than any other British journalist. Most notably for his coverage of the Ethiopian famine for BBC News in 1984/5. His reports filmed with the Nairobi based cameraman, Mohamed Amin alerted the world to the extent of the tragedy. They were shown worldwide, to an audience of billions. They led directly to a massive international relief effort valued in billions of dollars. It was estimated to have saved well over a million lives.
Awards:
Michael was named ”Television Journalist of the Year” by the Royal Television Society in 1984 and won a second RTS award that year for foreign reporting. He has won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for factual broadcasting. Michael was awarded the ”Golden Nymph” at the Monte Carlo Film and Television Festival Europe’s premier prize for television journalism and the United States ”National Headliner” and ”George Polk” awards, two of the three most important honours there for broadcasters.
In 1988 he was the third recipient of the James Cameron Memorial award. This was given for ”work as a journalist that combined moral vision and also professional integrity”. It was in his coverage of the township uprising and state of emergency in South Africa.
The BBC:
Michael Buerk has reported for BBC TV News since 1973. He was a network reporter from 1973 to 1976, industrial correspondent (1976 to 77) and Energy Correspondent (1977 to 79). Michael also was Scotland Correspondent (1979 to 80), Special Correspondent (1980 to 82) and Southern Africa Correspondent (1983 to 87).
He presented BBC Television’s flagship news programme, The Ten O’clock News. Michael also presented the peak time BBC 1 programme about emergencies, 999. He was chairman of the BBC’s discussion programme on moral and ethical issues The Moral Maze (BBC Radio 4). Also for Radio 4 he presented The Choice, a single interview programme about individual dilemmas.
In addition he chairs, presents, reports for, and contributes to, a number of other television and radio programmes. These were mostly for the BBC. Programmes have included major events such as the Royal Wedding of Prince Edward, the Eclipse and the BBC’s Millennium night coverage. Also the BBC1 docudrama Wren The Man Who Built Britain and a major BBC1 series Tobacco Wars and Soul of Britain. There was also a three-part series The Hand of God in 2003. In 2005 he presented What Are Men For? as part of the Don’t Get Me Started series on Channel Five.
Michael’s autobiography, The Road Taken, was published by Hutchinson in 2004.
Michael is also well known for chairing conferences and seminars and is a highly skilled conference facilitator and after dinner speaker. He has a wealth of experience hosting events and award ceremonies, both at home and abroad
