IWMF program in South Africa aims to improve
coverage of HIV/AIDS pandemic
May 21, 2013 -- The International Women’s Media Foundation is once again joining forces with nine South African news organizations to improve media coverage of the complex issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic there.
South Africa is believed to have more people infected with HIV/AIDS than any other country in the world. Yet, mainstream media coverage of the pandemic has been characterized by a lack of urgency, failure to examine the reasons behind stigma and denial, and inadequate engagement with people living with the disease.
To transform the way that HIV/AIDS reporting is done in South Africa, the IWMF created its HIV/AIDS Investigative Reporting Fellowship in 2011 with support by the M*A*C AIDS Fund. Now in its third year, the fellowship offers 10 journalists advanced training and coaching to produce innovative, high-quality investigative reporting on the complex, underreported issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, reflecting women’s voices and concerns.
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Government Intrusion on News Gathering Activities
May 14, 2013 -- Accustomed to defending freedom of the press around the world, today the IWMF finds itself calling on the US Government to cease its dangerous intrusion on the Associated Press (AP) and uphold the First Amendment rights that make newsgathering possible in a free and open society. We urge the Justice Department (DOJ) to return the records to the AP and destroy all copies, release to the public any documents reflecting the Deputy Attorney General's formal approval of the subpoena, and launch an internal effort to ensure that everyone in the Department is sensitive to the First Amendment values embodied in the DOJ Guidelines restricting subpoenas to reporters.
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2013 Courage in Journalism Awards
May 3, 2013 -- For the past 22 years, the IWMF has paid tribute to women journalists who risk their lives to report the news with its Courage in Journalism Awards. This year, the IWMF honors:
2013 Lifetime Achievement Award winner
Edna Machirori
Zimbabwe |
Machirori was the first black female newspaper editor in Zimbabwe. As a woman journalist in post-colonial Zimbabwe, Machirori rose through the ranks of several newspapers, including The Chronicle and The Financial Gazette, in spite of a deeply patriarchal culture. Now, Machirori continues to write about development, corruption and social issues for The Daily News, among other publications. |
Read Award winner profiles
Reeyot Alemu wins 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize
May 3, 2013 -- Today, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) honored imprisoned Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu with its 2013 UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Alemu, nominated for the award by the IWMF, was recommended by an independent international jury of media professionals in recognition of her "exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression."
The Jury took note of Reeyot Alemu’s contribution to numerous and independent publications. She wrote critically about political and social issues, focusing on the root causes of poverty, and gender equality. In June 2011, while working as a regular columnist for Feteh, a national weekly newspaper, Alemu was arrested and charged under Ethiopia's controversial Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. She is currently serving a five year sentence in Kaliti prison.
Read Alemu's Laureate address
Click here for more about Reeyot Alemu
April 9 is Equal Pay Day
April 8, 2013 -- Tomorrow is Equal Pay Day in the United States: it symbolizes how far into 2013 women must work to earn what men earned in 2012.
According to calculations by the National Women's Law Center, American women who work full time, year round, are paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts.
As part of its 2011 Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media, the IWMF surveyed 14 news companies in the United States. Research data suggests that women’s salaries are considerably lower than men’s in top-level management, senior professional and technical professional levels in the U.S. news media.
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Imprisoned journalist denied urgently needed medical care
April 8, 2013 -- In February 2013, imprisoned Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu, winner of the 2012 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award, was diagnosed with a growth in her breast. Doctors recommended immediate treatment, but Alemu has been consistently denied access to care.
Furthermore, officials of Ethiopia's infamous Kaliti prison, where Alemu has been serving the majority of her 5-year prison sentence, accused her of "disrespecting prison policies" and "planning to share information on human rights violations in Kaliti prison with the media". Prison authorities are currently reviewing the accusations and have threatened to punish Alemu with two months solitary confinement.
Get the full story
Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr.
Co-Chair of the IWMF Board of Directors
IWMF Board Co-Chair
among America's
100 Most Influential Lawyers
April 3, 2013 -- Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., a partner in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and Co-Chair of the IWMF's Board of Directors, has been named one of "The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal.
Boutrous has served on the IWMF's Board and generously supported the IWMF's work since 2007. With pro-bono legal support of Boutrous and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, 2009 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner Agnès Tailé from Cameroon was able to obtain political asylum in the United States.
A Killer’s Notebook, a Reporter’s Rights
Op-Ed by Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. on NYTimes.com, April 9, 2013
IWMF Board of Directors
2012 IWMF Lifetime Achievement Award winner Zubeida Mustafa
Pakistani newspaper announces
Zubeida Mustafa Award
March 29, 2013 -- In recognition of senior journalist and 2012 IWMF Lifetime Achievement Award winner Zubeida Mustafa, Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper Dawn has announced the inception of the Zubeida Mustafa Award for Journalistic Excellence.
The Award will be given every year to one of Pakistan's growing number of women journalists who is held to have rendered matchless services to the body of public knowledge about the issues facing Pakistan. By recognizing the contributions of women in journalism, the Award seeks to highlight issues and individuals so that a critical mass for change is created.
Read profile of Zubeida Mustafa
Watch Zubeida Mustafa on YouTube
Call for ZM Award Entries
UNESCO Launches Women Make the News 2013
March 7, 2013 -- On the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD), March 8, UNESCO and the IWMF join forces with international and regional partners to launch the annual Women Make the News initiative under the theme "Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender".
Launched annually, Women Make the News (WMN) is a global initiative aimed at fixing attention on an issue relating to gender equality in and through the media, driving debate and encouraging action-oriented solutions until global objectives are met.
IWMF Board member Christiane Amanpour speaks about Gender Equality for UNESCO WMN (video)
Visit the official website: Women Make the News 2013
UNESCO's Gender Sensitive Indicators in Media
Join the WMN initiative
Winner announced: 2013 IWMF Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital News Frontier
The International Women's Media Foundation has awarded three $20,000 grants to entrepreneurial women journalists proposing to use digital media in innovative ways to deliver the news:
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Iryna Khalip - Under house arrest in Belarus
In October 2009, IWMF Courage in Journalism Awardee Iryna Khalip, a reporter for Novaya Gazeta, one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Belarus, delivered her acceptance speech in New York. Her freedom to travel and pursue stories of interest, however, has since been revoked. Awaiting trial under strict house arrest, Khalip is kept prisoner on her local reporting grounds. The KGB has been monitoring Khalip's every move – tracking her e-mails, interrupting her Internet connection, and tapping her phone calls.
Read the article
Marie Colvin
A year after her death,
the IWMF remembers Marie Colvin's life
February 21, 2013 -- In 2000, the IWMF honored veteran war reporter Marie Colvin (The Sunday Times) with the Courage in Journalism Award for venturing into the heart of the world's conflicts and emerging with stories of their victims. Keenly aware of the power of the media to show the fundamental horrors of war, Colvin employed that power to help protect those who are most vulnerable. Colvin died in Homs on February 22, 2012 while fleeing an unofficial media building which was being shelled by the Syrian Army.
Watch the previously unpublished video of Marie Colvin accepting the 2000 Courage in Journalism Award
IWMF mourns loss of legendary Courage in Journalism Award winner Marie Colvin - Read article
Lynn Povich
© Christian SteinerLynn Povich to be honored with
Lifetime Achievement Award
February 6, 2013 -- Tonight, the Washington Press Club Foundation will be honoring long-time IWMF supporter Lynn Povich with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Povich, a former Co-Chair of the IWMF and member of its Advisory Council, has spent more than 40 years in the news business.
She began her career at Newsweek magazine where she was one of 46 women who sued the magazine for sex discrimination in 1970. Five years later, she was appointed the first woman Senior Editor in Newsweek’s history.
Earlier this week, the IWMF had a chance to talk with Lynn Povich about her career, her book and the struggles of being a woman journalist.
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IWMF names new Executive Director, new Board Members
January 31, 2013 – The Board of Directors of the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has appointed Elisa Lees Muñoz as Executive Director. Lees Muñoz brings over 20 years of experience in human rights and media development organizations that promote the rule of law, press freedom and the engagement, training and leadership of women in the news media around the world.
The IWMF has also added two new members to its Board of Directors:
Alexandra C. Trower, Executive Vice President, Global Communications, of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
|
Sharon Waxman, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Editor-in-Chief of TheWrap.com |
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2012 Courage Award winner Ismayilova arrested
January 28, 2013 -- The IWMF is deeply concerned about freedom and safety of the press in Azerbaijan upon learning of the arrest of radio journalist Khadija Ismayilova, and calls on the government of Azerbaijan to honor Ismayilova's constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech.
Ismayilova, honored with the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2012, was detained by the police at a peaceful demonstration in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on Saturday, January 26, where crowds had gathered to protest police abuse and arrests that occurred at a rally in the Azerbaijani city of Ismayilli just days earlier.
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Inauguration 2013
January 18, 2013 -- On Monday, Barack Obama will begin his second term as President of the United States. While he handily won the women’s vote by 11 percentage points in November over Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a public debate has ensued over the makeup of President Obama’s second-term cabinet.
Gender equality in leadership positions remains a hot-button issue and a global challenge. In the past months, the IWMF took a closer look at women journalists who played a high-profile role in covering the political party conventions, election campaigns and Presidential debates.
Read the IWMF's exclusive Presidential Election interview series
Ethiopian journalist loses appeal, remains in prison
January 8, 2013 -- The IWMF is gravely concerned about freedom of the press in Ethiopia upon learning the cassation court's decision to uphold Reeyot Alemu's conviction and prison sentence in Addis Ababa today.
The repeated use of Ethiopia's vague Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to silence government-critical voices is highly alarming. After her arrest in June 2011, Alemu was held for months without charge and subsequently convicted of terrorism although her activities have been purely of a journalistic nature.
Read full Statement
Swedish journalist Martin Schibbye: "Reeyot gave me strength"
January 4, 2013 -- The first time Schibbye met Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu was on a prison bus from Makelawi, the central police investigation headquarters in Addis Ababa, to the Magistrate's Court where the prosecution repeatedly filed 28-day extensions to keep political prisoners in custody without charge. Even though their interactions were very limited due to a strict communication ban in Kaliti prison, Schibbye was deeply impressed with Alemu's strong moral beliefs. "During the interrogation in Makelawi, Reeyot never broke down. She kept explaining to the police interrogators, some of them younger than her, why she was fighting for freedom of speech and democracy", Schibbye remembers.
Read IWMF interview with Martin Schibbye
News Anchors Christiane Amanpour and Cynthia McFadden call for release of Reeyot Alemu
January 2, 2013 -- A few weeks ago, Amanpour and McFadden hosted the 2012 Courage in Journalism Award for the International Women's Media Foundation. It was a moving, even glittering event. But there was one striking absence. Journalist Reeyot Alemu could not come to New York to receive her award because she is languishing in an Ethiopian prison. On January 4th, an Ethiopian court will decide Alemu’s final appeal. It is her last hope of freedom.
Click here to read their call for the release of Reeyot Alemu
Call for Nominations
The International Women’s Media Foundation is seeking nominations for its 2013 Courage in Journalism Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award.
Each year, the Courage in Journalism Awards honor three women journalists who have demonstrated extraordinary strength of character in pursuing their profession under difficult or dangerous circumstances, such as government oppression, threats to personal safety and other intimidating obstacles.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a woman journalist who has a pioneering spirit and whose accomplishments have paved the way for future generations of women in the media.
Click here to read more.
Speak Justice Now
Murder is the most extreme form of censorship. Since 1992, more than 660 journalists have been murdered for their reporting. In most cases, their killers remain free, generating fear and self-censorship. The IWMF has partnered with the Committee to Protect Journalists and 23 other advocacy groups to demand justice for murdered journalists.
Learn more about Speak Justice: Voices against Impunity.
Susan Musukuma
(1973 – 2012)
November 30, 2012 -- The IWMF pays tribute to Susan Musukuma, an extraordinary journalism trainer who for four years imparted wisdom and encouragement to Zambian journalists participating in the IWMF’s four-year training program, Reporting on Women in Agriculture: Africa. Susan was a dedicated trainer and mentor who made a tremendous impact on the lives of those she touched. She will be greatly missed.
In the words of one of her trainees, Ellen Mutinta Hambuba:
IT HAS REALLY BROKEN MY HEART, YOU WERE SUCH A WONDERFUL WOMAN…I AM PROUD OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO MY 4 YEAR RESEARCH WE CARRIED OUT WITH IWMF, YOUR KNOWLEDGE SHARED WILL GO A LONG WAY. WHAT A WONDERFUL WOMAN WE HAVE LOST...REST IN PEACE SUSAN, I MISS YOU AND WILL ALWAYS DO.
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Symbolia to be launched December 3
2012 Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital News Frontier Grant Program
November 26, 2012 -- Symbolia, a tablet magazine of illustrated journalism, founded by journo-preneur Erin Polgreen and funded by the IWMF, will be launched next Monday, December 3.
Watch Erin Polgreen explaining her grant-winning start-up idea:
Learn more about the IWMF's Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital News Frontier grant program
Call for Applications
2013 Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital News Frontier Grant Program
November 15, 2012 -- The International Women's Media Foundation will award three $20,000 grants to entrepreneurial women journalists proposing to use digital media in innovative ways to deliver the news. In addition to seed funding, the program provides coaching from leading entrepreneurs and digital news media experts.
Applications will be accepted until Friday, January 25, 2013.
Click here for more information | Submit application
U.S. Presidential Elections
November 5, 2012 -- Tomorrow, the American people will go to the voting booth to elect their President. According to The Women’s Media Center, 3/4 of U.S. newspapers’ coverage of the Presidential elections is written by men, a disproportionately high number considering that less than 2/3 of newsroom reporters are male. In the past months, the IWMF took a closer look at women journalists who played a high-profile role in covering the political party conventions, election campaigns and Presidential debates.
Read the IWMF's exclusive Presidential Election interview series
Courageous journalists honored in Los Angeles
October 30, 2012 -- More than 300 media personalities gathered in Los Angeles yesterday for the Courage in Journalism Awards, hosted by Aisha Tyler (CBS) and First Amendment Attorney Ted Boutrous, and attended by many accomplished women of the U.S. media and entertainment world, including Maria Shriver, Olivia Munn, Annette Bening, Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Westfeldt, Mary Hart, Brooke Anderson and Louise Roe.
Read more | See photos | Speeches and presenters' remarks
Courage Award Sponsors
U.S. media elite gathers New York for Courage in Journalism Awards
October 25, 2012 -- More than 500 of the East Coast's leading news personalities gathered in New York yesterday
for the Courage in Journalism Awards, a ceremony hosted by Christiane Amanpour (CNN/ABC News) and Cynthia McFadden (ABC News), and attended by many of the most accomplished women in the U.S. news media, including Ann Curry, Martha Raddatz, Lesley Stahl, Gayle King, Norah O'Donnell, Pat Mitchell, Katty Kay, Judy Woodruff and Cindi Leive.
Read more | See photos | Speeches and presenters' remarks
Courage Award Sponsors
Courage Awards in the News
U.S. Media Elite Honor Female Pakistani Journalist for Her Courage
Huffington Post, November 2, 2012 (by Tabby Biddle)
Reporter jailed in Ethiopia among women journalists honored
Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2012 (by Howard Blume)
Unadulterated Inspiration: Courage In Journalism Awards 2012
BlogHer, October 31, 2012 (by Laura Tremaine)
True Courage in Journalism
Huffington Post, October 29, 2012 (by Ted Boutrous)
Pakistani journalist recounts challenges (Video)
CNN, October 26, 2012
Portraits Of Courage: Female Journalists Honored At International Women’s Media Foundation Awards
The Daily Beast, October 24, 2012
Women from Azerbaijan, Gaza, Ethiopia win courage in journalism awards
The Washington Post, October 24, 2012 (by Alexandra Olson, Associated Press)
International Women's Media Foundation Honors Journalists
Women's Wear Daily, October 25, 2012
Images of the New York award ceremony
Associated Press
IWMF Honors Khadija Ismayilova With "Courage In Journalism" Award
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 25, 2012
2012 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award Ceremony in New York, October 24
October 23, 2012 -- The most accomplished news anchors and women in the U.S. media will gather when the recipients of the 2012 IWMF Courage in Journalism and Lifetime Achievement Awards come to New York from half-way around the world.
Christiane Amanpour and Cynthia McFadden will be hosting a luncheon to honor Asmaa al-Ghoul (Gaza), Reeyot Alemu (Ethiopia), Khadija Ismayilova (Azerbaijan), and Zubeida Mustafa (Pakistan) in New York City on October 24, 2012.
The awards will be presented by Lesley Stahl, Ann Curry, Bob Woodruff and Judy Woodruff.
To donate to the IWMF, text "Courage (space) your name (space) dollar amount" to 56512.
Find out more
See and download Photos here (Photo credit: IWMF/Stan Honda)
Download Press Packet here
2000 Courage Award winner still fights for freedom of press in Kyrgyzstan
October 20, 2012 -- Zamira Sydykova received the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2000, in recognition of her adamant coverage of corruption in Kyrgyzstan and the resiliency she demonstrated against subsequent governmental attempts to shut down her paper, Res Publica. Since the IWMF last caught up with Sydykova, she has added Ambassador, scholar, trade advisor, activist, and grandmother to her list of lifetime achievements, while retaining her distinguished reputation as a leading female journalist in Kyrgyzstan.
Read the full story
Exclusive interview with
Candy Crowley
October 16, 2012 -- In an exclusive interview with the IWMF, tonight's Presidential debate moderator Candy Crowley anticipated that she would become part of the news itself as the debate draws near. If recent weeks are any indication, Crowley is welcoming of the limelight. More than this year's previous moderators Lehrer and Raddatz, Crowley has been out in front of the camera, willing to describe her attitudes and approach toward the debate. Crowley has publicly said she intends to play an active role in the debate, drawing criticism from both campaigns who prefer questions from the audience only. But after Raddatz' stellar performance last week, an actively involved moderator may be exactly what the Presidential debates need.
Last week, Candy took some time out of her busy schedule for an exclusive interview with the IWMF.
Exclusive interview with
Martha Raddatz
October 11, 2012 -- Tonight, all eyes will turn on ABC News Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Martha Raddatz. After a firestorm of criticism over Jim Lehrer’s passive performance at the first presidential debate last week, Raddatz will face intense scrutiny when she moderates tonight's vice presidential debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan. If her journalistic record is any indication, she will pass with flying colors. Martha Raddatz has covered the White House and the Pentagon for many years, regularly reports from areas of conflict, and was the first reporter to fly on a combat mission in an Air Force fighter jet.
A few weeks ago, Raddatz sat down with the IWMF for an exclusive interview for the Presidential Election Series.
>> Read the interview