Mike Thomson, an Icon of Change in BBC

Icons of Change International Awards 2025

Mike Thomson
International Affairs Correspondent | Author | Human Rights Advocate
BBC World Service – Over Three Decades of Global Reporting

War Correspondent of the Year (Prix Bayeux Calvados, 2008)
Journalist of the Year (One World Media Awards, 2008)
Journalist of the Year (Sony Radio Academy Awards, 2012)
Four-Time Amnesty International Media Award Winner (2008, 2009, 2010, 2014)

SDG Focus: Sustainable Development Goal 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Changemaker for Truth, Human Rights, and Global Justice (United Kingdom)

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Few journalists in modern history have navigated the intersection of conflict, humanity, and justice with the persistence and integrity of Mike Thomson. For more than three decades, he has stood at the world’s flashpoints—where history unfolds in real time—and brought home stories that would otherwise remain buried under the rubble of war, censorship, and silence.

As a senior International Affairs Correspondent for the BBC, Mike has reported from Syria’s besieged cities, Iraq’s battlefields, Afghanistan’s rugged terrains, North Korea’s closed borders, and Africa’s humanitarian crises. His fearless pursuit of truth has taken him into the very heart of danger, often undercover, revealing not only the brutality of conflict but also the quiet resilience of ordinary people. His work has amplified the cries of victims, survivors, and forgotten communities—turning local struggles into matters of global conscience.

Mike’s career is marked by landmark moments in journalism. He was among the earliest to sound the alarm on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar in 2006, a voice that echoed long before the world recognized it as one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes of our time. His coverage of Ethiopia’s drought in 2002–2003 mobilized nearly USD$800 million in international aid, proving that powerful reporting can shift policy, unlock resources, and literally save lives.

His investigative reporting has also peeled back the veneer of global commerce, exposing how multinational corporations were tied to exploitative labor practices in vulnerable regions. By holding power and profit accountable to morality, Mike reinforced the journalist’s role as both watchdog and moral compass in an increasingly complex global system.

Yet his work is not only about uncovering abuses. Mike is also a chronicler of hope. In *The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from Islamic State*, he gave readers a rare inside look at life under one of the most brutal regimes of the 21st century. In *Syria’s Secret Library*, he told the remarkable story of a community that built a library out of ruins, turning knowledge into resistance. These works stand as testaments to human resilience—and to Mike’s deep belief in the enduring power of stories to preserve dignity, even in war’s darkest hours.

His contributions have been recognized globally: War Correspondent of the Year at Prix Bayeux Calvados, Journalist of the Year at the One World Media Awards, and the Sony Radio Academy Awards. But it is his unprecedented four Amnesty International Media Awards—three of them consecutive—that cement his place as one of the foremost human rights journalists of our time.
Beyond the awards, Mike’s enduring legacy is the impact of his work on global awareness and humanitarian response. He has shaped how the world sees conflict, human rights, and justice. He has reminded us that journalism is not simply about telling stories—it is about giving voice, sparking accountability, and restoring dignity where it has been denied.

In honoring Mike Thomson with the Icons of Change International Award 2025, we celebrate more than a distinguished career. We celebrate a life’s work dedicated to holding a mirror to humanity—its cruelties and its courage, its failures and its triumphs. His reporting embodies the spirit of SDG 16: building peace, ensuring justice, and strengthening institutions through truth.
Mike Thomson is not just a witness to history—he is a catalyst for change, a guardian of truth, and an icon of what journalism, at its best, can achieve for the world.

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