Anna McNamee: Why Ethics and Religion Matter

The Sandford St Martin Awards are the UK’s most prestigious broadcast awards for radio, TV and online programmes that explore religious, spiritual or ethical themes. Established in 1978, they are the only awards in the UK that specifically seek out the best content that supports religious literacy across communities or promotes a better understanding of how people identify or define their place in the world. As part of Pearl Works’ series on ethical journalism, Julie Phan sat down with Anna McNamee, journalist, producer, and Executive Director of the Sandford St. Martin Trust. From years reporting in East Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, to the BBC World Service, Anna shared the side of journalism we rarely hear about: how the way a story is told can save a person, or destroy them.

 Q: Could you share a little about the Sandford St Martin Trust, where you serve as Executive Director? 

Anna: The Sandford St Martin Trust was founded in 1978, in a very different UK, a society where religion, class, and ideas about gender  were  more rigidly defined. At that time, the first awards were almost exclusively given to  male producers making content about the Church of England.

But by the time I joined, the Trust and the UK had changed significantly: more multi-faith, multicultural, and equitable. Every year, we receive submissions from BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4, radio, and independent podcasts, featuring works that reach millions of listeners and viewers.

Regarding the relationship between the Trust and the Awards: the Trust exists to support, advocate for, and promote excellence in broadcasting on religion or related issues. I prefer to phrase it this way, rather than just “religious broadcasting,” because that term feels too narrow. The awards are a way to celebrate work that does this well.

 So although they are separate components, they operate mutually: the Trust’s advocacy work is reinforced by the awards, and the awards provide exemplary content that the Trust can use to promote change.

 Q: What makes the Sandford St. Martin Awards stand out compared to other media awards?

Anna: What makes the Sandford St. Martin Awards special is that they focus on a very specific broadcasting genre, which is broadcasting about religion or belief. As far as I know, they’re the only awards in the UK dedicated solely to this field.

Categories like this are rarely recognized in major awards like the BAFTAs or the ARIAs (Audio Awards). The Sandford St. Martin Awards are unique because they have such a distinct focus. And in terms of format, entries can be anything: news, current affairs, documentaries, drama, or comedy, as long as the work explores human belief and how it affects peoples’ lives.

Q: What was the most memorable moment you experienced in last year’s awards?

Anna: Strangely, every year there’s a moment that makes me want to cry. At the awards ceremony, something always moves me deeply, and I think, “Wow, this is why we do what we do.” Let me see… from last year,  the journalism award went to the makers of a documentary called ‘Praying for Armageddon’ which looked at the rise of the religious far-right in the US and the links between their influence and the conflict in Israel and Palestine.  When two Norwegian filmmakers came to accept their award, they spoke of journalism colleagues in Gaza who had been killed as a result of the war.

It was unforgettable because it reminded us of the importance and fragility of journalism. Journalism is a vocational craft, not just a job. Every year, listening to people talk about their work and why it matters brings tears to my eyes. Hearing them speak about what’s important is a small but memorable moment, not grand, yet always a highlight for me.

Q: I noticed many outstanding entries coming from the BBC. How do you ensure all broadcasters entering the awards are considered fairly?

Anna: We’re often asked why BBC programming is so prevalent among our shortlists and winners. Partly it’s because they’re the largest UK content-maker: overall they have the biggest budget, most staff, widest reach in terms of audience. Even after recent cuts, I think the BBC still employs more people than all other public service broadcasters combined. More importantly, with respect to your quesiton, the BBC has stricter public obligations. By this I mean they’re regulated not only by broadcasting laws and the Media Act, which sets strict requirements for audience representation and content quality, but also by their own Charter which means they have specific duties when it comes to providing content which reflects all of the UK’s diverse communities, including faith communities. So it’s understandable that the BBC stands out. But our principle hasn’t changed: every work no matter the broadcast platform is judged fairly, based on quality, not the size of the broadcaster.

Q: Before joining the Sandford St Martin Trust , you had a long career in journalism. Could you share a little about that journey? What motivated you to become a journalist?

Anna: I started in news, covering East Africa and Latin America, often in dangerous places where others didn’t want to go. I filmed and reported from South Sudan, Rwanda, Sarajevo. It was incredibly exciting and fulfilling work, but also quite heavy. It gave me the chance to observe the world and see how people behave under extreme pressure but it wasn’t always uplifting. After that, I returned to London, worked for BBC Radio, doing news, documentaries, and many other projects. 

I remember 9/11 very clearly. I was working at the BBC when the first plane hit the tower. We all thought it was an accident. Then the second plane hit. Phones at the BBC Religion desk were ringing constantly. Journalists from across the BBC were asking for more information about Al Qaeda. It sounds strange now, but back then, even in a large newsroom like BBC World Service, there was a lot of misunderstanding about who or what  Al Qaeda was, its philosophy or religious beliefs, the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam and what if anything this had to do with or extremist groups.

A more recent example that has haunted me was also mentioned by Michelle Hussain in her recent lecture at Oxford. Shamina Begum was 15 years old and enrolled at a secondary school around the corner from where I live in London when she entered Syria to join the Islamic State. All research suggests she was groomed and manipulated. I’m not saying what she did was right, but she was a child and she was exploited. These things are fundamental when we tell her story.

Yet the British media has turned her into a one-dimensional demon: a young, dumb, brown-skinned Muslim girl who has only gotten what she deserves, stripped of citizenship, without a passport, living in a war zone… and now at the age of 26 she’s lost three children. In horrific conditions, in a war zone. Who could imagine that?

Q: What role do you see for journalists in today’s chaotic news environment?

Anna: The role for journalists today is similar to what it’s always been: to connect us to other people’s stories. To make it possible for people to learn and understand more about someone else’s circumstances and experiences, who they are, what they believe and what we share in terms of our humanity. In short, I see the role of a journalist as being that of a bridge. Essentially, journalists provide a means of accessing another person’s situation. As a bridge you may provide some structure and a level of interpretation but fundamentally, you are a bridge. You’re there to form connections.

Q: What message would you like to send to young journalists entering the profession?

Anna: Be humble. Be humble. Be humble. You meet many people in this business and others who think they know everything, who may have experienced a lot but now assume they’ve seen  it all. But the world is constantly changing, people change their minds, things are always shifting, and you need to be ready to go along for that journey. Essentially, you have to stay open-minded, humble, and put your ego aside.

If you don’t listen, you’ll miss the opportunity to come closer to truth. Be open to opposing views, question yourself, and slow down to see whether the story you tell is fair to the people in it. And most importantly: remember that the media does more than report. It shapes how society treats people.

Pearl Works is honoured to have collaborated with the Sandford St Martin Media Awards over many years. Director Angela Robson has served as a shortlisting judge across all categories of the awards, including TV, Audio, and Journalism.

In the 2025 awards, Julie Phan (pictured) joined as a shortlisting judge in the Young Audience category, continuing Pearl Works’ commitment to championing meaningful storytelling and impactful media.