We’re incredibly proud to announce the winners of our 2026 Courage in Journalism Awards: Elaheh and Elnaz Mohammadi of Iran, @bygeorgiafort of the United States, and Nay Min Ni of Myanmar. Frenchie Mae Cumpio of the Philippines will receive the 2026 Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award, honoring a journalist who has been unjustly imprisoned for her work.
Each of these journalists has demonstrated extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth, risking their safety and freedom to hold power to account. Elaheh and Elnaz Mohammadi reported on the persecution of women and anti-government protesters in Iran despite escalating censorship and arrests. Georgia Fort now faces legal retaliation following her reporting on anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. Reporting under a pseudonym for her safety, Nay Min Ni continues to document the realities of Myanmar’s military dictatorship. And Frenchie Mae Cumpio remains imprisoned in the Philippines for her investigations into government corruption.
Notably, all of this year’s honorees are independent journalists, working without the institutional protections or legal resources often available at major media organizations. At a time of mounting threats to press freedom and deep instability across the media industry, their work reminds us why independent journalism matters.
Read the full press release to learn more about this year’s winners at the link in our bio!
As many journalists head to cover protests in Chicago and cities across the U.S. this weekend, we have gathered intel on how journalists may be identified and targeted while covering ICE facilities and other federal buildings. Swipe through for our most up-to-date safety recommendations, and check the link in our bio for more detailed advice.
We're thrilled to announce that German photojournalist Johanna Maria Fritz (@johannamaria_fritz ) has been named the winner of the 2025 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award for her portfolio "The Last Hospital," depicting life inside one of Sudan's last functioning public hospitals amid the country's devastating humanitarian crisis.
Venezuelan photojournalist Adriana Loureiro Fernández (@adriana.loureiro )received an honorable mention for her portfolio "Paradise Lost," recounting her country's descent into political and economic chaos.
American photojournalist Nicole Tung (@nicoletung ) also received an honorable mention for the second time, having previously been honored in 2017. Her portfolio focuses on conflict and migration, including work from Ukraine, Syria, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.
Today is the final day to sign up for our NSAA training in Charlottesville, VA! This training is free to all freelance and newsroom journalists in the area who want to learn more about reporting safety best practices and develop safety protocols for reporting in the field. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/NSAA-Charlottesville
The final story in our #CheckYourBylines campaign comes from ¡Exprésate! Fellows @antoine8matos and Sandra Gayou in Yucatán, Mexico. Their documentary for @fabricadeperiodismo 's La Jornada del Campo highlights the work of local women activists and examines the environmental and social impacts of the Tren Maya development project.
Local media is a lifeline for communities around the world—amplifying voices and helping protect their homes. We encourage you to keep checking your bylines and support the journalists creating media by and for their communities. Watch here: /watch?v=jUVW5COACi4
We have no doubt: the best way to understand a community is to pay attention to the people reporting from within it.
For this round of #CheckYourBylines, our team is sharing a few local journalists and outlets they keep coming back to, from reporting on Indigenous communities and local politics to visual storytelling rooted in community life.
This week’s recommendations include @amandaloman , Sophie Peel, Brooklyn Brown(@bbcreativewerk ), and Bella Davis, journalists whose work brings visibility, accountability, and context to the communities they cover.
👉 Check your bylines.
Who are you reading or listening to locally?
🎙️This is what local reporting sounds like.
In this episode of @kqed_forum , #IWMF Women on the Ground fellow, Susan Britton, reports on efforts to help rebuild the Ukrainian town of Irpin while the war continues.
Stories like this connect global events to local communities ➡️ through the journalists documenting them in real time.
🎧 Listen to Amid War, Bay Area Architects Aid Reconstruction in Ukrainian Town -> bit.ly/IWMF_Reporting
•Check your bylines — and your airwaves.
Next up in our #CheckYourBylines spotlight is Women on the Ground fellow @shahrzad.rasekh , whose photo essay on a family of Ukrainian refugees resettling in Connecticut received first place in the photo essay category for the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists' annual Excellence in Journalism Contest. As part of our Women on the Ground cohort, Shahrzad was able to travel to Ukraine and trace the experiences of refugees from the frontlines to her local community. Read her award-winning piece in the @ctmirror !
If you want to understand a place, read the people reporting from it.
As part of #CheckYourBylines, our team is sharing the local outlets and journalists they trust: Those documenting their communities every day.
From Minneapolis to Tucson, and Hawaii, these are just a few of the voices helping us better understand the world through local reporting.
👉 Check your bylines
Do you follow a local outlet in your city?
Tag them below so others can too 👇
In the days following World Press Freedom Day, we're reminding you to #CheckYourBylines for the journalists connecting global headlines to local communities. As local newsrooms face budget cuts, layoffs, and threats of censorship, IWMF fellows and grantees are persisting to bear witness on the frontlines.
IWMF Lauren Brown Fellow and Gwen Ifill Mentee @yashicadutt spent much of the last year following local New York politics within the city's South Asian diaspora. Read her reporting in New Lines Magazine!
The stories that matter most start close to home.
Local journalists are the ones documenting what’s happening in your community, every day.
This week, we’re asking you to do one simple thing:
👉️ #CheckYourBylines
Look at the name.
Pay attention to where the reporting is coming from.
Because local news is your story.
Tomorrow is the final day to sign up for our free NSAA safety training in Akron, Ohio! This opportunity is open to freelance and newsroom reporters, offering resources and recommendations for staying safe in the field. Sign up at the link in our bio!
