The International Women's Media Foundation1 will honor three female journalists who have put their lives at stake in pursuit of truth. One of the recipients of the 2009 Courage in Journalism Awards is Jila Baniyaghoob of Iran.
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Jila Baniyaghoob, 38, freelance reporter and editor-in-chief of the website Kanoon Zanan Irani (Focus on Iranian Women), Iran. Baniyaghoob works in one of the most restrictive environments for both journalists and women in the world. Still, she has fearlessly reported on government and social oppression, particularly as they affect women. She has been fired from several jobs because she refuses to censor the subject matter of her reporting and several of her media outlets have been closed by the government. She has travelled throughout the Middle East, writing accounts of the lives of women and refugees during times of conflict. The topics of her reporting make her a target of the Iranian government. She has been beaten, arrested and imprisoned numerous times.2
Iryna Khalip (Belarus) and Agnès Tallé (Cameroon) are the other two women who will be receiving similar awards, while Amira Hass (Israel) will get the Lifetime Achievement Award. Presenting the awards are Christiane Amanpour (CNN), David Gregory (Meet the Press), Irshad Manji (NYU), and David Westin (ABC News). The ceremonies will be held at The Waldorf-Astoria in NYC on Tuesday, October 20th.
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