Nigerian journalist and writer of Daybreak.ng and Daybreak Nigeria newspaper, Austin Maho, received the award at 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards for his thought-provoking article entitled “Fake News and the Challenges of Reporting China.”
The honor was revealed during the 2025 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, held on September 16 in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Maho was awarded the Long List Award for outstanding effort towards equitable international journalism.
The winning stories were seriously evaluated by an academic panel, screened by a panel of judges, and attested by members of the BRNN Council, based on the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN).
Maho’s October 5, 2024, article provides insight into how misinformation warps international perception of China and its Belt and Road initiatives in Africa. It reveals how Western-influenced narratives tend to misrepresent Chinese actions on the continent, perpetuating myths and mistrust.
He described China and Africa as victims of an uneven global information system that promotes the Western style, hence misconceptions such as alleged “debt-trap diplomacy” and all kinds of unfounded allegations.
Referring to the dangers of disinformation, Maho called on journalists especially in the Third World and Africa to uphold professionalism through fact-checking, challenging bias, and advocating balanced reporting. He emphasized responsible journalism’s role in fostering international understanding, cooperation, and South-South solidarity.
The article also denounces Western media reporting on China’s international endeavors, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), urging African journalists to surpass stereotypes and report China-Africa cooperation realities objectively and in depth.
