Female Asian journos honoured for courage
LONDON: An Indian journalist and a Filipina campaigner won Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Awards for their bravery in holding governments to account in the face of persistent threats.
Freelance reporter Swati Chaturvedi and social media campaigner Inday Espina-Varona were honoured at the RSF annual awards on Thursday, which were staged in London for the first time.
Maltese journalist Matthew Caruana Galizia, who has carried on the work of his mother Daphne, murdered for exposing corruption on the Mediterranean island, was also honoured at the ceremony.
Established in 1985 to defend and promote press freedom, Paris-based RSF has been presenting its yearly awards since 1992.
Chaturvedi won the Prize for Courage, awarded for journalism in a hostile environment.
She has faced online harassment campaigns after exposing what she calls a “troll army” operating for the governing Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I get a dozen death threats every day and 15 to 20 rape threats.
“The whole idea of a democracy is that you are allowed to have a dissenting view. Unfortunately, the way politics has panned out across the world, journalists are really under threat. It is sad that you are called courageous just for doing your job,” Chaturvedi said.
Veteran journalist Espina-Varona founded a social media women’s rights campaign in response to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments on women.
“After a particularly hard-hitting column, I find 50 to 80 private messages calling me a liar and an ugly woman,” she said.
She won the Prize for Independence, awarded to reporters for resisting pressure in carrying out their work.
Caruana Galizia won the Prize for Impact, awarded for work that has led to an increase in awareness of journalistic freedom.
“It’s a recognition that what we’re fighting for is right,” he said.
“It’s about continuing to fight for the right thing: justice for my mother and for her stories. Everything else will follow.”— AFP