Sentamu thanks journalists for 'giving voice to voiceless'

The Archbishop of York praised journalists and aid workers for fighting against the tide of celebrity gossip, trivia and cynicism to "give a voice to the voiceless".

Speaking at the One World Media Day Awards in London last night, Dr John Sentamu paid tribute to the work of journalists and aid workers in not only bringing serious issues to light, but in also seeking to "replant the tree and grow a new fruit of hope for men and women who are in need of your help".

Dr Sentamu noted "how hard it is to raise the flag of human experience and triumph over the hubris of the latest series of Big Brother", as well as the "cynical distortion of values that operates in parts of our global media".

"These values are at their most pernicious when the voices and views of people in the two-thirds world are drowned out by corporate and consumerist interests," he continued. "Sadly this is a state of affairs which is becoming more common."

Dr Sentamu went on to thank the journalists and aid workers present "for the invaluable work you do in fighting back against the greed and self-centredness which pervades the media industry".

Their work, he told them, "represents a light that shines, like a city on a hill and that offers an alternative path to those who would be seduced by celebrity, trivialised by gossip and depoliticised by cynicism".