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.
Rana Sabbagh has spent more than four decades building a vibrant investigative reporting culture in the Middle East and North Africa – one of the most dangerous regions of the world for journalists to expose official wrongdoing. Sabbagh, who is the winner of the ICFJ Knight Trailblazer Award, delivered the following remarks on Nov. 14 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, at the ICFJ Tribute to Journalists 2024.
Valeriya Yegoshyna is an intrepid investigative reporter documenting the impact of Russia's war on her native Ukraine. Yegoshyna, who is the winner of the ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award, delivered the following remarks on Nov. 14 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, at the ICFJ Tribute to Journalists 2024.
Burkinabè journalist Mariam Ouédraogo is dedicated to covering war and its devastating consequences on civilians in her native country of Burkina Faso.
Facing a barrage of legal attacks, renowned journalist and digital news pioneer Maria Ressa says the Philippines is on the verge of experiencing the death of democracy by “a thousand cuts.” In an online event co-hosted by ICFJ and FRONTLINE, she said her country, once known for its vibrant news media, is now teetering on the brink of a “precipice.”
