Frédéric Braun

Award

Amnesty Media Award for best contribution to public debate on subjects relating to human rights, Amnesty International Luxembourg, 2016.

Resume

Resume
I worked as a journalist for several years, primarily for the written press where I came to specialize in Jewish affairs and won the Amnesty International Media Award in 2016 for my investigative report into the death of a gay refugee from Russia. I have also gained experience in communications, both on the field and as member of a communication department.

Journalism has provided me with a strong understanding of politics and society as well as of the specific issues and needs relating to communication and public relations functions. This is especially true when thinking about the near silence that surrounded the fate of Luxembourg's Jews during the Nazi occupation until recently. As a journalist, I covered most of the events that eventually led the local authorities to present official excuses to the Jewish community and culminated in the unveiling of a monument in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. I was also privileged to gain the trust of many reluctant survivors who would share their stories with me, sometimes for the first time ever.

For those who end up in Calais (France), from where I reported on the life-threatening attempts of migrants trying to make their way into the UK, reflecting on the past can be painful too. Often, the present survival is all there is left to think about. It teaches you that ultimately, journalism is about sharing our common truth.