Author Hari Kunzru yesterday rejected the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys prize, awarded to him for his debut novel The Impressionist, on the grounds that the sponsors of the prize, the Mail on Sunday, and its sister paper the Daily Mail, "pursue an editorial policy of vilifying and demonising refugees and asylum-seekers" and because of what he called the papers' consistent "hostility towrads black and Asian British people". In a generous gesture, Kunzru asked that the £5,000 award be given instead to the Refugee Council.
Maeve Sherlock, the Refugee Council's Chief Executive, was delighted by the news:
"We thank Mr Kunzru for his generous support and above all we welcome his recognition of the effect misrepresentation of asylum seekers is having on all sections of our society. We hope this marks a turning point in the way the press as a whole reports the issues affecting asylum seekers' lives".
More information
Read the Guardian Unlimited report
The Press Complaints Commission has recently issued new guidelines on the reporting of asylum issues. Find out more.
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