ICFJ Knight Fellow Receives María Moors Cabot Prize’s ‘Special Citation’

By: ICFJ | 07/12/2024
ICFJ Knight Fellow Laura Zommer

The jury for Columbia Journalism School’s prestigious María Moors Cabot Prize has recognized ICFJ Knight Fellow Laura Zommer of Argentina as a 2024 special citation recipient, describing the journalist as “a visionary and a beacon of integrity and innovation in modern journalism in the Americas.”

“At a time when truth and facts are under siege by misinformation, Laura Zommer leads the fight for transparency and fact-checking using technology and digital journalism tools,” the school’s news release read.

The Cabot Prize honors outstanding reporting in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the oldest international journalism award, and recognizes journalists who contribute to inter-American understanding.

Zommer is the former director and editor-in-chief of Chequeado, a nonprofit that has “revolutionized journalism, first in Argentina and then throughout Latin America,” according to the Cabot Prize. With Clara Jiménez Cruz of Maldita.es in Spain, Zommer also co-founded Factchequeado for Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. Factchequeado draws on innovative approaches developed by Chequeado and Maldita.es, such as introducing a WhatsApp tipline to involve audiences in fact-checking, creating proactive communities, and fostering collaboration among journalists and fact checkers.

"As a journalist from Argentina, it is an immense honor to be recognized with one of the highest distinctions in international journalism,” Zommer said. “The worldwide significance and prestige of this citation make it particularly meaningful to me and my country. Being in the company of such distinguished journalists is both humbling and inspiring. I sincerely hope this recognition will encourage more Latin American and Latina journalists to continue their vital work during these challenging times. Our role of shedding light on crucial issues is more important than ever.”

The 2024 Cabot Prize Gold Medalists are Lalo de Almeida, a documentary photographer; Carlos Ernesto Martínez of El Faro; John Otis of NPR and the Committee to Protect Journalists; and Frances Robles of The New York Times. A second special citation went to InSight Crime.

Learn more about Zommer.

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