RSF announces nominees for Press Freedom Awards 2019

MANILA, Philippines – International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on Friday, August 30, the nominees of its Press Freedom Awards 2019 ahead of the awards ceremony happening in Berlin on September 12.

The shortlist for 3 international awards – Prize for Courage, Prize for Impact, and Prize for Independence – includes journalists and media outlets from 12 countries.

Prize for Courage

• Igor Rudnikov (Russia)
• Eman Al-Nafjan (Saudi Arabia)
• Paolo Borrometi (Italy)
• Lola Aronovich (Brazil)

Prize for Impact

• Bihus.info (Ukraine)
• Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam)
• Sudanese Journalists Network (Sudan)
• Lu Guang (China)

Prize for Independence

• Caroline Muscat (Malta)
• Dawn (Pakistan)
• Amadou Vamoulké (Cameroon)
• Confidencial (Nicaragua)

RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said in a statement Friday that many of this year’s nominees “face constant threats or have been imprisoned several times for their work.”

“Yet these journalists refused to be silenced and continue to raise their voices against the abuse of power, corruption and other crimes. Rather than dishearten us, the difficult situations these journalists face inspire us with the will to achieve change. Courage in the pursuit of journalistic ideals is a formidable motivating force for all those who want to address humankind’s most important challenges,” he added.

RSF said the winners will be chosen by a jury that includes the international Emeritus Board and the presidents of all sections of Reporters Without Borders.

The September 12 event will be sponsored by TV5Monde, which will also present the Prize for Independence. The Prize for Courage and Prize for Impact will be sponsored by mail service provider posteo and media company Intan, respectively.

Established in 1985 to defend and promote press freedom, Paris-based RSF has been presenting its yearly awards since 1992.

Previous winners include the late Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi and the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.

In 2018, Filipino journalist Inday Espina-Varona won the Prize for Independence, which is awarded to reporters for resisting pressure in carrying out their work.

Indian journalist Swati Chaturvedi won last year’s Prize for Courage, while Matthew Caruana Galizia, the son of the late Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, won the Prize for Impact. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com