Courage in Journalism

The IWMF’s Courage in Journalism awards recognize women journalists who risk their lives everyday to cover stories that need to be shared. The international recognition provides these courageous women with a “mantle of safety and security,” Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director of IWMF, told Ms. Winning the award means they are internationally recognized and more likely to be protected if something goes wrong.  
This new and ongoing series “Courage in Journalism” was created in collaboration with the IWMF to spotlight women and nonbinary journalists and storytellers who have shown immense bravery and empathy in the face of violence. 

It’s Time to Take Action—Even Though It Feels Dangerous

“Action is the antidote to despair.”

I find this statement by the legendary activist/songwriter, Joan Baez, to be particularly relevant and inspiring in this time when it’s so easy to fall into despair. When I am engaged in activism—the purposeful resistance to the many push backs on rights and freedoms—I push aside despair and reclaim the hope that comes with action.

And it’s time for action! Time to stop the handwringing and worse, the silence, about what is happening in the U.S. that is having an impact everywhere in the world.

Courage in Journalism Award Winner María Teresa Montaño Delgado Exposes Government Corruption in Mexico

María Teresa Montaño Delgado is the founder and director of the investigative portal The Observer and winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award.

She has dedicated her 30-plus-year journalistic career to uncovering corruption in the Mexican government. Her reporting has been met with smear campaigns by political leaders, tax harassment, bribery and threats to her and her family. Despite all the harassment, Montaño has continued her work. 

The Power of the Pen to Change the World

It’s a sunny day in Mikocheni, Tanzania. Sia Fred Towo clutches a bag of reusable sanitary pads in one hand, showcasing it to a group of women in a dusty yard with a look of seriousness and pride that rarely accompanies menstrual products. Towo is the director of Femme International, a nonprofit in East Africa, on a mission to break down global menstrual taboos. Towo is not only bringing period products to remote villages in Tanzania, she is bravely baring her own painful experiences in a borderless and ageless format: the op-ed.

Towo is one of six grassroots change leaders who are turning to the power of the pen to expose injustices and inspire change on a broad array of urgent issues—from climate change to education access. She joins courageous women from Afghanistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Peru who are writing op-eds about their personal experiences with these issues.

Sophia Huang Xueqin Won Awards for Her #MeToo Reporting. Today, Her Fate Remains a Mystery.

Huang (Sophia) Xueqin’s reporting sparked a wave of #MeToo allegations against various high-ranking media personalities and professors in China. She described the censorship she faced as “severe.” The extreme backlash Huang faced for her reporting included an onslaught of threats, bullying on her personal pages, and intimidation from authorities—eventually leading to her arrest in September 2021.

As of this month, Huang has been jailed and almost entirely cut off from her friends, family and advocacy groups for over 750 days.

Women Reporting on Ukraine for WaPo Win IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Award

This year, the International Women’s Media Foundation honored the women of the Washington Post covering the Ukraine, with the Courage in Journalism award.

“What’s frustrating to me is that men [soldiers] might take me less seriously, or won’t take me to the frontlines because I’m a woman,” said Ukraine bureau chief Isabelle Khurshudyan. “That aspect definitely exists, that definitely happens. You have to try and show your credentials. Other women will try to slip in other work they’ve done.” 

How the International Women’s Media Foundation Fights for Women in Journalism and Strengthens Press Freedom

Last year, 12 women journalists were murdered, and the number of women journalists imprisoned rose by 64 percent. By continuing to award courageous journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation is making it known that the threat of violence against women reporters is ever-present. Still, it also is a testament to the unwavering spirit of women journalists globally. 

Over the next several months, Ms. and IWMF will collaborate monthly to highlight the works of these journalists, all of whom are nominees or winners of the Courage in Journalism award.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)