The International Women's Media Foundation honored two journalists for their journalistic work “despite incredible odds” at its annual Courage in Journalism Awards Tuesday night.
Co-hosts Willow Bay, Gelila Assefa Puck and Charmaine DeGraté welcomed an intimate crowd to a celebratory dinner in Los Angeles. Bay, who currently serves as dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, has been involved with the IWMF for two decades and said she feels grateful to Puck and DeGraté for joining her as co-host for this year's event.
“What's interesting now, decades later, is that they [journalists] the stories seemed a little remote. They were out there in the world,” Bay said The Hollywood journalist.
“Today we live in a time when press freedom has never been more in danger, when non-binary journalists have never been more in danger,” she continued, underlining that the danger is so close to home how far away it is. “I think the inspiration remains true every year, but the sense of urgency is very powerful and palpable right now to support this kind of work.”
“I think we've all seen over the last few years, now more than ever, that there seems to be a bit of a threat around journalism, in particular, particularly women's journalism,” DeGraté said in explaining why the IWMF's work is so significant for her.
Puck, who said Bay brought her into the fold, said she is “always” against corruption. “Here are incredible journalists highlighting the truth, fighting every single day out there in a war zone,” he said, noting that journalists also expose corruption among government officials. “These are journalists who cannot be bought. An organization like this is so important in this day and age that it exists because without this organization we really can't bring the truth to the world.”
Among the women honored were New Hampshire-based NHPR journalist Lauren Chooljian and Ecuadorian journalist Mónica Velásquez, the latter of whom was unable to attend because she had to flee her home country following her reporting on political corruption and organized crime.
Rudabeh Shahbazi and Lauren Chooljian.
Vincenzo Bucci
Chooljian, a senior reporter and producer at the NPR affiliate in NH, was recognized for her work as an anchor and reporter behind The 13th stepa podcast about sexual misconduct in the state's addiction treatment industry. “I do audio storytelling, so telling dynamic stories that people just want to hear more about is a great opportunity and I love doing it,” he said.
“It's extremely difficult work, especially when dealing with important topics like this, but what motivates me is that so many people are brave enough to talk to me and it's their courage,” she continued. “I think that keeps me going.”
The IWMF also honored documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe of Myanmar with the Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award. Daewe was sentenced to life in prison in 2024 for, according to the IWMF, “allegedly 'financing and assisting terrorists' and was charged behind closed doors by a military court without access to legal representation.”
Gulchehra Hoja, winner of the 2020 Courage in Journalism Award, closed the evening, in conversation with Bay. The Uyghur journalist, who works for Radio Free Asia in the United States, spoke about herself and the experience of the Uyghur people, adding that she was banned from returning home.
Willow Bay and Gulchehra Hoja.
Vincenzo Bucci
“Compared to regular journalists in the United States, every time we interview someone [the] Uyghur community, we must ask ourselves: 'Do you want to give your name and your voice to us, to our radio? Will it harm your family at home? Hoja explained.
“I repeat this question every time [it]I will also think about my family,” he continued. Hoja said he hasn't been able to communicate with his family for years. The journalist said reporting her radio show in her own language pushes the show's team to preserve their language.
“The stakes are clearly different,” Chooljian said, referring to his work and Hoja's work. “But if we don't tell these stories, who will?”