Winner 1984

Seeds of Despair

Central Independent Television

One of the major international news stories of the decade is the continuing famine in Africa. Facing overwhelming logistical problems and censorship by unfriendly governments, Western news media have been credited with bringing this story to light and with creating an outpouring of help and hope. Charles Stewart’s documentary Seeds of Despair, broadcast by Great Britain’s Central Independent Television in July 1984, is a vivid record of the scope of the famine which helped mobilize relief efforts to the millions of drought victims in Ethiopia. One of the earliest reports from the site, Seeds of Despair presented stark, hauntingly effective images of hunger and human suffering. For its role in documenting the drought and generating assistance for its victims, a Peabody Award to Central Independent Television for Seeds of Despair.