Longtime correspondent and war reporter Dr. Friedrich Orter (75) was awarded the European Tolerance Prize for Democracy and Human Rights by the City of Villach on Thursday evening. His gripping reports from many recent crisis regions and war zones have made television history, his commitment to truth and peace in the world is legendary, and his personality has served as a role model for entire generations of journalists, according to the jury’s statement. Fritz Orter reported for over 40 years from the world’s war zones, from the Yugoslavian war to Iraq and Afghanistan. He relentlessly exposed the horrors of the armed forces and the suffering of the civilians for viewers and listeners, took the side of those in need, and condemned violence and cruelty – so unequivocally and from the front lines that he often played with his own life. He processed his experiences in a series of worthwhile books.
