Washington, DC – The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) today announced its 2025 Knight Award winners – two journalists who have demonstrated exceptional courage and perseverance in exposing wrongdoing in environments that are incredibly hostile to the press.
The awardees are: César Batiz, an investigative journalist in exile who is the co-founder and director of the pioneering El Pitazo in Venezuela; and Philip Obaji Jr., a Nigerian journalist who has documented Russian atrocities in Central and West Africa as a correspondent for The Daily Beast.
The two winners will be honored Nov. 13 at the ICFJ Awards Dinner, along with NBC News’ Lester Holt, who will receive the ICFJ Founders Award for Excellence in Journalism, as announced in April. Abby Phillip, who anchors CNN’s “NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” will serve as the emcee.
“This year’s winners have shown a remarkable ability to surface the truth despite powerful entities working to suppress it,” ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi said. “César and his team at El Pitazo reach Venezuelans with independent news, circumventing censorship through innovative means. Half a world away, Philip is documenting Russia’s often brutal activities in Africa as it taps the continent’s natural resources to help fund its war against Ukraine.”
The ICFJ Knight Awards are supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The winners were selected by a panel of judges made up of leading news executives, past ICFJ award winners and other distinguished members.
“It’s imperative that we recognize the work of journalists who advance the public’s understanding of critical issues around the world, especially when that work is carried out in challenging environments,” said Marisa Kwiatkowski, director for journalism at Knight Foundation. “Safeguarding journalists is essential to upholding press freedom.”
César Batiz is the co-founder and director of El Pitazo. The trailblazing outlet uses a variety of creative means to reach people in a shrinking democratic space, including theater performances, innovative use of WhatsApp, and a reporting network of 1,400 citizens. Read more.
“Through determination and innovation, César Batiz has helped ensure that Venezuelans can access independent accountability journalism despite their country’s tight restrictions on the press,” said Julie Pace, an ICFJ Knight Award judge and the executive editor of the Associated Press. “That César is leading this effort from outside of Venezuela, having been forced to flee the country himself, makes his work all the more remarkable.”
Philip Obaji Jr., a correspondent for The Daily Beast, is the foremost journalist reporting on massacres, rape, torture and other abuses by Russian paramilitaries, primarily in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali. In the course of his reporting, Obaji has been abducted and beaten, and he regularly faces threats. Read more.
“Philip Obaji is a reporter of global significance, driven by his commitment to the local world,” said Carlos Eduardo Huertas, an ICFJ Knight Award judge and director of the investigative reporting hub CONNECTAS. “His talent, courage and commitment to the truth have led him to delve into extremely dangerous areas, following the trail of the perpetrators of the most atrocious attacks, especially against the women of his region.”
The ICFJ Awards Dinner is Washington, DC’s premier international media event. By becoming a sponsor, you support our work empowering journalists and our efforts to foster news and information ecosystems that better serve people. In partnership with tech powerhouse Code for Africa, ICFJ has launched a global initiative called ICFJ+ that connects journalists, technologists, civil society and others to produce and share vital information that people can use to better understand the world and act constructively to shape it. Learn more about opportunities to support this year’s Awards Dinner on Nov. 13.
The ICFJ Knight Award winners were selected by the following judges:
Jacqueline Barnathan, Former Senior Producer, CBS News
Noreen Gillespie, Democracy Forward Journalism Director, Microsoft
Carlos Eduardo Huertas, Director and Editorial Board Leader, CONNECTAS
Sharon Moshavi, President, ICFJ, and Co-CEO, ICFJ+
John-Allan Namu, Co-Founder and CEO, Africa Uncensored; 2024 ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award Winner
Julie Pace, Executive Director, The Associated Press
Rana Sabbagh, Investigative Reporter and Editor; 2024 ICFJ Knight Trailblazer Award Winner
Eliot Stempf, Vice President of U.S. Information Security, Axel Springer
Jose Zamora, Communications Advisor; ICFJ Board Director
About ICFJ
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) enables a global network of journalists to provide the trustworthy news essential to free and strong societies – vital work that strengthens democratic ideals and spurs change. We serve tens of thousands of journalists around the world, helping them cover the most critical issues of today, innovate to deeply connect with communities, and build news organizations that thrive. Learn more at icfj.org.
About Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. KF.org