We've been working a good part of the year on the upcoming launch of the WITNESS video hub, and we just received word that WITNESS will be receiving the first ever National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Humanitarian Award at the Public & Community Service Emmy® Awards ceremony in New York City on November 9th. From the NATAS Press Release WITNESS, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., has provided hundreds of human rights activists in 70 countries with the technical and strategic training and support they need to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice and change. In the coming months, WITNESS will launch a new online initiative called the Hub. The Hub will be a participatory website enabling people anywhere in the world to use their cameras, camcorders and cell phones to document and share their human rights-related footage to promote discussion, action and policy change. “WITNESS and its chairman Peter Gabriel have played an extraordinary role in creating an avenue for ‘participatory service,’” says Peter Price, President/CEO of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “Their promotion of citizen journalism and video advocacy has opened our eyes to human rights abuse in countries where traditional journalists may not be present. WITNESS is very deserving of this Humanitarian Award for harnessing new technologies to serve humanitarian causes." "We are honored to have WITNESS as our first Humanitarian winner," said Lydia Loizides, the Chair of the Humanitarian Award for the Academy. If you're planning to be in New York that week, don't miss WITNESS's 15th Birthday Benefit on November 7th. WITNESS's Focus for Change Benefit Dinner and Concert will be Co-hosted by Peter Gabriel and Maggie Gyllenhaal, featuring musical performances by Jackson Browne, The Roots, and other special guests.