A Tibetan journalist who is one of China’s best known bloggers, even though she is under constant scrutiny from the government is one of the winners of the 2010 International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Awards.
"The work that these remarkable journalists do brings to light the dark corners of our globe," said Judy Woodruff of the PBS News Hour, IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards chair. “They risk everything, including their livelihoods, their safety and the safety of their families, to unearth the truth and enlighten us all.”
Tsering Woeser, 43, a Beijing-based Tibetan freelance writer, blogger for the site Invisible Tibet and contributor to Radio Free Asia. For more than eight years, since the publication of her book Notes on Tibet, Woeser has been under constant scrutiny by Chinese authorities. She was brought to Beijing for “re-education” and told she would be fired from her job with Tibetan Literature, a government-controlled journal, unless she changed her point of view. She refused. When she returned to Tibet, she was fired. She then moved back to Beijing, where, in 2008, she was interrogated and placed under house arrest. Woeser continues to live in Beijing and report about human rights abuses in Tibet, but her work is published only by media outside mainland China. Sources she has relied on for years will no longer speak to her for fear of retaliation; anyone who dares to meet with her is likely to be interrogated by police. Still, she remains determined to inform the world about the struggles of the Tibetan people.
The IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards honor women journalists who have shown extraordinary strength of character and integrity while reporting the news under dangerous or difficult circumstances. The award was presented at ceremonies in New York on October 19 and in Los Angeles on October 21.
Founded in 1990 and now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the International Women’s Media Foundation is a vibrant global network dedicated to strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide as a means to further freedom of the press. The IWMF network includes women and men in the media in more than 130 countries worldwide.
More information here.
"The work that these remarkable journalists do brings to light the dark corners of our globe," said Judy Woodruff of the PBS News Hour, IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards chair. “They risk everything, including their livelihoods, their safety and the safety of their families, to unearth the truth and enlighten us all.”
Tsering Woeser, 43, a Beijing-based Tibetan freelance writer, blogger for the site Invisible Tibet and contributor to Radio Free Asia. For more than eight years, since the publication of her book Notes on Tibet, Woeser has been under constant scrutiny by Chinese authorities. She was brought to Beijing for “re-education” and told she would be fired from her job with Tibetan Literature, a government-controlled journal, unless she changed her point of view. She refused. When she returned to Tibet, she was fired. She then moved back to Beijing, where, in 2008, she was interrogated and placed under house arrest. Woeser continues to live in Beijing and report about human rights abuses in Tibet, but her work is published only by media outside mainland China. Sources she has relied on for years will no longer speak to her for fear of retaliation; anyone who dares to meet with her is likely to be interrogated by police. Still, she remains determined to inform the world about the struggles of the Tibetan people.
The IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards honor women journalists who have shown extraordinary strength of character and integrity while reporting the news under dangerous or difficult circumstances. The award was presented at ceremonies in New York on October 19 and in Los Angeles on October 21.
Founded in 1990 and now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the International Women’s Media Foundation is a vibrant global network dedicated to strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide as a means to further freedom of the press. The IWMF network includes women and men in the media in more than 130 countries worldwide.
More information here.
