IWMF's 2012 HIV/AIDS Investigative Reporting in South Africa Fellows Named; 10 Journalists to Examine Impact of Epidemic
The International Women’s Media Foundation has joined forces with eight South African news organizations to improve media coverage of the complex issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic there.
HIV/AIDS has had a devastating impact in South Africa, with more than 500,000 new infections each year, and 1.2 million children orphaned as a result of AIDS. Yet, mainstream media coverage of the epidemic 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. The stories of women, who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, often remain untold.
To address this critical gap in coverage, the IWMF created a prestigious HIV/AIDS Investigative Reporting Fellowship in South Africa to transform the way that HIV/AIDS reporting is done.
For a second year, a cohort of 10 accomplished South African-based journalists will complete the IWMF fellowship. 2012 fellows represent a range of South African news organizations, including both national and community media outlets. They include: Zeenat Abdool, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) radio Channel Africa; Tanja Bencun, SABC Digital News; Bianca Capazorio, the Weekend Argus; Euline Fillis, SABC FOKUS; Mukelwa Hlatshwayo, eTV; Sibongile Mashaba, the Sowetan; Sipho Masombuka, The Times; Ina Skosana, The New Age; Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla, SciDev; and Nomsa Zwane, Alex FM.
Read the press release here.
Read more about the 2012 fellows here.
IWMF Selects 2012 Courage in Journalism, Lifetime Achievement Awards Winners From Ethiopia, Palestine, Azerbaijan, Pakistan
An imprisoned Ethiopian newspaper columnist wrongly convicted of terrorism after criticizing the government, a Palestinian writer threatened and beaten for covering politics in Gaza and a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Azerbaijani investigative reporter targeted in a smear campaign after reporting on corruption are the IWMF’s 2012 Courage in Journalism Award winners.
Reeyot Alemu, 31, a columnist for the Ethiopian newspaper Feteh, is in prison for 14 years after being convicted of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and participation in a terrorist organization. Asmaa al-Ghoul, 30, a Palestinian blogger and writer, regularly receives death threats and has been beaten by Hamas security forces while covering protests. Khadija Ismayilova, 35, a talk show host on RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service who covers corruption and abuse of power by the government elite, was threatened and had surveillance cameras planted in her apartment in an effort to silence her.
Pakistani media pioneer Zubeida Mustafa -- the first woman in her country's mainstream media -- is the IWMF’s 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Mustafa, 70, worked for three decades at Pakistan’s oldest English-language newspaper and mentored many younger women journalists. She continues to write columns for the paper.
These inspiring women will be honored by the International Women’s Media Foundation at award ceremonies in New York on Oct. 24 and in Los Angeles on Oct. 29. With this year’s award winners, 75 journalists have received Courage Awards and 21 journalists have received Lifetime Achievement Awards. Read more here.
'Forbidden Voices' Shows Internet Power of Women Bloggers in Cuba, Iran, China
Despite threats and censorship, three women bloggers from China, Iran and Cuba dared to cover controversy. Now their powerful stories are out in a long-waited documentary “Forbidden Voices.”
After two years of production, the film tribute highlights the global impact of the Internet and online social networks to circulate information and organize protests. Director Barbara Miller captured their stories.
Chinese activist Zeng Jinyan has blogged and tweeted since 2006 about her life – including the imprisonment of her activist husband Hu Jia, who defended AIDS sufferers. Iranian blogger Farnaz Seifi was threatened and fled the country, after she wrote about a campaign to change laws discriminating against women. Havana-based Yoani Sánchez says she was subjected to government censorship and physically attacked, after using USB flash drives and CDs to circulate her critical writing about Cuba. Read more about film here.
IWMF's 2012 Digital News Frontier Grant Winners: Three Innovative Start-Ups Selected to Receive $20,000 in Seed Funding
The International Women’s Media Foundation has selected the three winners of the 2012 Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital News Frontier grants.
The winning start-ups, which will receive $20,000 to launch and pro-bono coaching from professionals, are:
Computational Platform for Investigative Journalism, a hub for data-driven reporting, tools and training, started by Agencia EFE senior correspondent Teresa Bouza.
Bouza, a Knight Fellow at Stanford University, has worked since 2005 as a foreign correspondent in Washington D.C., for Spanish-language news agency Efe.
Real World STEM, a video-based webzine engaging teens in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) reporting, conceived by freelance journalist Rebekah L Fraser.
Frazer, a widely published writer who created STEM matters educational webzine in 2010, received an Online Learning Award from the International Society for Technology in Education.
Symbolia: The Tablet Magazine of Illustrated Journalism, a tablet-focused visual journalism enterprise combining investigative reporting with comics and illustration, created by media strategist Erin Polgreen.
Polgreen, who has advocated for the intersection of comics and journalism to engage consumers in complicated stories, previously worked at The Media Consortium working with 50 leading independent media outlets.
“We were impressed by the caliber and diversity of this year’s proposals,” IWMF Acting Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz said. “We continue to see a dearth of seed funding and training for aspiring women entrepreneurs, and we are pleased to provide these much-needed resources to three exceptional winners.” Read more.