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ON ITS 25th ANNIVERSARY, CPJ TO HONOR FIVE JOURNALISTS |
New York, October 11, 2006–The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor four journalists–from Colombia, Yemen, the Gambia and Iraq–with 2006 International Press Freedom Awards in November. The awards ceremony will also commemorate CPJ’s 25th anniversary.
Jesús Abad Colorado of Colombia, Jamal Amer of Yemen, and Madi Ceesay of the Gambia have risked their lives to report the news, withstanding attacks, harassment, and imprisonment. CPJ will posthumously honor Atwar Bahjat, correspondent for Al-Arabiya satellite television and former Al-Jazeera reporter who was gunned down while covering a bombing near Samarra, Iraq, in February.
Hodding Carter III, the respected newspaper editor, television journalist, foundation executive, and teacher, will receive CPJ’s Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for lifetime achievement.
“We honor these brave journalists from around the world for their tenacity in reporting the news at great personal risk and at great odds,” CPJ Board Chairman Paul Steiger said in announcing the awards. “Their courage highlights the dangers journalists face today to get the story.”
Said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon: “Exposing corruption, criticizing authorities for abuse of power, or reporting from the front line of local conflicts are just some of the ways these reporters do their jobs and inspire us. With these awards, CPJ hopes to strengthen protections for journalists worldwide.”
The awards will be presented at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on Tuesday, November 21. Robert A. Iger, president and chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company, and John S. Carroll, Knight visiting lecturer at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University, will co-chair the black-tie dinner. CNN’s Chief International Correspondent and CPJ board member Christiane Amanpour will host.