Award name: 07 The David Kaplan Award

The reporting of Nick Schifrin and his crew from Gaza for Al Jazeera America distinguished itself in a field crowded with excellence. It offered a seamless shifting of perspective from both sides of the border; empathy shown by reports from, in some cases, the living rooms of the ordinary people caught in the crossfire; and brevity and wit in writing.

Correspondent Charlie D’Agata and producer Randall Joyce risked their lives reporting on what was to become one of the bloodiest and most important weeks in Egypt’s history. They were on the front lines with protesters in Tahrir Square as the military regime’s crackdown intensified and the bodies piled up, telling us their harrowing stories. What stood out was this team’s bravery, knowing they could have been killed at any time. They put their lives on the line so the truth about what was happening to the Egyptian people could be known.

CNN’s harrowing reporting from Damascus represents true bravery in the face of danger. The reporter and crew, unable to identify themselves in order to protect their Syrian helpers, uncovered fresh killings of civilians by the Syrian Army. Their work provides an all too important voice to those who have been oppressed and have survived some of the most horrific conditions of war, all the while putting their own personal safety at risk.

In addition to her courageous reporting in the face of danger, Christiane Amanpour distinguished her coverage of the revolts by obtaining two timely and revealing interviews: in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak and in Libya with Colonel Moammar Gadhafi. She was the only journalist to talk to these doomed leaders as their regimes were being torn apart. Because Amanpour has been covering the Middle East for two decades, her depth of understanding of the region enabled her to truly capture these historic times in her compelling reports — both as a witness and especially as an interviewer.

In this series of three reports from Afghanistan by NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his long-time cameraman Bedun Edwards, the toll of war is poignantly illustrated through the eyes of one soldier, Sgt. Louis Loftus, 22, from Akron, Ohio, who spoke with unusual candor about the trauma of battle. The riveting footage of the ferocious surprise attack by the Taliban against the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division coupled with the post-gunfight interview and homecoming of Sgt. Loftus demonstrate Engel’s unique ability to capture the moment and to bring the audience to the battlefield, even if it means putting his own life in danger.

In a category with several excellent entries, two stood above the rest this year, and “The Battle of Wanat” by the staff of the CBS Evening News took our top honors in a split decision.

In the overwhelming chaos that surrounds a natural disaster, the reporting and resourcefulness of ABC News correspondents Stephanie Sy and Neal Karlinsky had to deal first with the physical obstacles to this breaking news story in a remote region of Sichuan province.

Spending time with the soldiers of Battle Company, 173rd U.S. Airborne, as they lived — and died — in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan, freelance photographer Tim Hetherington gives viewers a gutsy, poignant view of what American troops face in “The Other War.” Hetherington and Junger traveled with a platoon of soldiers in one of the war’s most dangerous combat arenas.

Judges noted Logan’s “immensely powerful storytelling” in her coverage of American troops under fire in Ramadi. Logan was running along with troops when a 19-year old soldier was shot right in front of her. Logan caught several signs of imminent disaster seconds before snipers opened fire: women suddenly running away down the street, shops abandoned with all of their goods openly on display.

Best TV spot news reporting from abroad AWARD YEAR: 2005 AWARD NAME: The David Kaplan Award 2005 RECIPIENT: Richard Roth, Andy Clarke, NickTurner, and the late James Brolan AFFILIATION: CBS Evening News HONORED WORK: “Pakistan Earthquake” In the days immediately after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that leveled villages, killed more than 79,000 people and left…