The 13th Cross-Strait Relations and Mainland News Coverage Awards, regarded in Taiwan as a major prize in cross-strait news coverage, this year added two award categories -- video and non-video news -- for citizen journalists who broadcast their news on the Internet or via campus media.

Addressing the ceremony, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan said that through the news coverage generated by citizen journalists, people in China can get a better understanding of Taiwan.

"It is the true significance of cross-Taiwan Strait news exchanges, " said Lai, adding that news exchanges that are being advocated by both Taipei and Beijing should not be just about setting up media offices on each other's side of the strait.

The first citizen journalist award was presented to WEnews, a citizen journalism platform established in December last year. The award- winning story is about how a Chinese woman from Dalian in northeastern China started a new life by opening a Dalian cuisine restaurant in Taipei after marrying a Taiwanese man 17 years ago.

MAC Vice Chairman Chao Chien-min said at the ceremony that for some major recent events such as Taiwan's presidential election and Typhoon Morakot, Chinese people often obtain their information and express their views and concerns through Web sites.

Meanwhile, speaking at a seminar organized by the sponsors of the awards, Radio Taiwan International Manager Wang Tan-pin said that as Chinese media organizations are usually positioned as propaganda tools, citizen journalism should be taken as an approach to help foster China's journalistic freedom and democracy.

The Chinese Development Fund and Ming Chuan University, which jointly sponsor the awards, invited 18 experts to be members of a review committee that selected 30 award winners in 10 categories from among 174 candidates.

(By Liu Cheng-ching and Fanny Liu)