Journalist Undergoes Bamboo-Stick Circumcision For Scoop

Wins award for "Best Scoop" on Papua New Guinea rebels

A dedicated journalist travelled through jungles, crossed rivers and got circumsized by bamboo sticks to get a scoop.

Simon Eroro of the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier was given the "Best Scoop" award by his employers at News International, Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp Australian Branch, for going above and beyond on an article about the movements of militants in Papua New Guinea, The Australian reports.

Journalists are rarely granted access by Free West Papua rebels into their region. But the rebels, who are fighting for independence in Papua and West Papua from Indonesia, agreed to let Eroro in if he underwent a "cleansing." He agreed to a circumsision with bamboo sticks and got the interviews.

He later wrote a story on the cross-border movements of the Free West Papua militants from Indonesia into Papua New Guinea, leading the police commissioner to tighten security along the border and close militant refugee camps, according to The Telegraph.

At an award ceremony Friday in Sydney attended by Murdoch, Eroro thanked his wife and eidtor for "trusting me and engaging me on that assignments.

Murdoch praised Eroro's dedication, saying "Tonight, I have witness many examples of great journalism. it is the backbone of what makes News Limited a great company."

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