Syria based journalist Zaina Erhaim has been awarded the Reporters without Borders Prize in France for her defence of press freedom. She lives and works in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo. Her uncle accepted the prize on her behalf at a ceremony in the Strasbourg, France.
- She has been bestowed with this award for her “determination and courage” in covering the conflict in Syria. (Syria is the most dangerous country in the world for journalists)
- In August, she was conferred with Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism.
Zaina Erhaim’s endeavour
- From the past two years Erhaim has trained around 100 print and television journalists, (third of them women).
- Her efforts have led to the emergence of a number of independent newspapers and magazines.
Watchdog’s Media of the Year prize
Reporters without Borders (RSF) honoured Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet with watchdog’s Media of the Year prize for its “independent and courageous journalism”.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed the paper’s editor-in-chief would pay a heavy price for the report which raised questions about Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.
- The paper was also the first in the Muslim world to reprint parts of the first Charlie Hebdo issue which featured a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.
Citizen Journalist of the Year award
RSF’s Citizen Journalist of the Year award went to Zone 9, an Ethiopian bloggers’ collective that regularly denounces rights abuses in the east African country.
About Reporters without Borders Prize
The Reporters without Borders Prize has been awarded annually since 1992 to a journalist and a news media in different parts of the world that have made a significant contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom.