Photo Credit: ICFJ YouTube

 πŸ₯‡πŸ“° Ukrainians Who Documented Siege Of Mariupol To Receive CJFE International Press Freedom Award


Monday, 30 January 2023 02:27.PM

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression is proud to announce it will award one of its prestigious International Press Freedom Award to the courageous Ukrainian journalists who documented the horrific Russian siege of Mariupol. The award will be presented at CJFE's 23rd Annual Gala: A Night to Honour Courageous Reporting.

The Associated Press team of photojournalists Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko stayed in Mariupol after the Russians cut all communication lines to the city and after other international journalists left. They were only able to send out a fraction of what they recorded but the impact was huge. Incensed, the Russians hunted them down but they made a harrowing escape. Later, Chernov talked about their reason for staying behind: "With no information coming out of a city, no pictures of demolished buildings and dying children, the Russian forces could do whatever they wanted. If not for us, there would be nothing."

"The Ukrainian team is so deserving of this prize," said Carol Off, CJFE Gala Chair. "Their work documents the blatant attack on civilians and puts the lie to Russian propaganda."



This year, CJFE is awarding two International Press Freedom Awards, a reflection of the steep sacrifices that journalists are making to report the truth. The award will also honour two Iranian journalists who were imprisoned for reporting on the death and funeral of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old was attacked by Iran's morality police for not wearing her headscarf properly.

The CJFE Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism and the Tara Singh Hayer Memorial Award will be announced at the Gala on February 15th.

SOURCE:Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

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