Winners for 25th annual Awards are from DRC, Serbia, and USA
Washington, DC – As the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) celebrates its 25th year honoring courageous women journalists around the world, we are proud to announce the recipients of our 2014 Courage in Journalism Award. Recent targeted attacks on journalists around the world underscore the importance of supporting and recognizing those individuals who risk their lives to report the truth. Since 1990, the IWMF has paid tribute to more than 100 women journalists who set themselves apart through their extraordinary bravery.
With its 2014 Courage in Journalism Awards, the IWMF honors:
Arwa Damon, USA | International Correspondent, CNN
For more than ten years, Damon has reported from the most turbulent areas of the Middle East, covering revolutions, popular demonstrations, war, and terrorist attacks. Based in Beirut, Damon has witnessed recent history in Libya, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, working to tell the stories of those living through conflict. She has escaped crossfire, shelling, and bombing, and has withstood criticism from government entities for her reporting. Read more ...
Solange Lusiku Nsimire, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Editor-in-Chief, Le Souverain
Standing at the helm of one of the few independent media outlets in Eastern Congo, a region dominated by competing powers including roving bands of Rwanda génocidaires and corrupt decision makers, Lusiku Nsimire has made many enemies. She is the target of ongoing threats and harassment; her family home has been attacked multiple times, and she has fought numerous obstacles to continue publication of her newspaper. Read more ...
Brankica Stanković, Serbia | TV Reporter, B92
Reporting on corruption and crime perpetrated by the country's political and economic elite has made Stanković one of Serbia's most prominent investigative journalists - and a target for continued attacks, including explicit death threats. Stanković has been forced to live under 24-hour police protection since 2009, but she continues her rigorous investigative coverage of Serbia's political and social ills. Read more ...
Alexandra Trower, Executive Vice President, Global Communications, at The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., has been named the 2014 IWMF Leadership Honoree, for her decades-long career in executive leadership at major international companies and her years of support for the IWMF's work. "As the citizens and beneficiaries of a democratic society, we have a responsibility to play a role in upholding the critical tenets of free speech around the world," Trower said. Read more ...
The 25th Courage in Journalism Awards will be presented at ceremonies in New York on October 22nd and in Los Angeles on October 29th. Bank of America is National Presenting Sponsor of the events for the ninth consecutive year.
For more information, please visit iwmf.org, follow #IWMFcourage (@IWMF) on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Please direct all media inquiries and interview requests to IWMF Communications Strategist Anna Schiller (aschiller@iwmf.org, +1 202 567 2613).
ABOUT IWMF
Founded in 1990 by a group of prominent U.S. women journalists, the International Women's Media Foundation is a Washington-based organization dedicated to strengthening the role of women journalists worldwide. The IWMF believes the news media worldwide are not truly free and representative without the equal voice of women. The IWMF celebrates the courage of women journalists who overcome threats and oppression to speak out on global issues. The IWMF's programs empower women journalists with the training, support and network to become leaders in the news industry.
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“On this World Press Freedom Day, I call on all Governments, societies and individuals to actively defend this fundamental right as critical factors in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the post-2015 development agenda,” he says.And more:
When journalists are able to report freely, they support informed citizen participation in political and social processes and promote civic engagement...Our Assembly called upon Member States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference. In this regard, the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is an important multi-stakeholder mechanism. Only by ensuring that journalists can work safely and without fear will they be able to give voice to those who do not have one, tell stories that are untold and help build open and transparent societies.