CPJ International Press Freedom Awards

International Press Freedom Awards
Awarded forcourage in defending press freedom in the face of attacks, threats or imprisonment
LocationNew York City
CountryUnited States
Presented byCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
First awarded1991
WebsiteAwards website

The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honor journalists or their publications around the world who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment.[1] Established in 1991, the awards are administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, non-governmental organization based in New York City.[2] In addition to recognizing individuals, the organization seeks to focus local and international media coverage on countries where violations of press freedom are particularly serious.[3]

Every November four to seven individuals or publications are honored at a banquet in New York City and given an award.[4] The ceremony also honors the winner of the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for "lifelong work to advance press freedom".[5] Past hosts have included crime correspondent and former hostage Terry A. Anderson,[6] Amanpour host Christiane Amanpour,[7] and NBC Nightly News anchors Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw.[1][3] In 1998, the ceremony was briefly disrupted by protesters who unfurled a banner calling for the release of former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal from Pennsylvania's death row.[8]

  1. ^ a b "CPJ to honor brave international journalists". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2010. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  2. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Committee to Protect Journalists. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Georg Szalai (November 23, 2010). "International Press Freedom Awards Shine Spotlight on Endangered Journalists". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  4. ^ Anita Snow (October 6, 2011). "Committee to honor 4 journalists for courage". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2011 awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference AP2210 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Jack O'Dwyer (December 5, 2011). "CPJ Fetes Journalists, Rather at Waldorf Banquet". O'Dwyer's. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  8. ^ "Five journalists honored by international press freedom group". NewsLibrary.com. Associated Press. November 25, 1998. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2012. (Subscription required)